The Red thread of Fate
by Digitize27
Summary: Who would have thought a few seconds cutting a piece of string could mean the difference between two fates? RanmaxShampoo
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just doing this for world domina... I mean fun :)

* * *

'Ding!'

'Click!'

The sound of the scissors slicing together was painfully clear to all four occupants of the otherwise empty church, even through the sounds of the clock striking its chimes for five o'clock. The three integral occupants of the chapel watched with a mixture of dread and fascination as, with one last ethereal glow the red thread binding the couple's pinkie's together faded out of existence at exactly the same moment the scissor's sliced through the spectral string.

The first to recover from the shock of what happened was Xian-Pu. "Aiyah! What stupid pervert girl do!"Akane clenched her fist and her face grew a deep shade of crimson but before she could return a verbal, and maybe physical, beating on the shocked Amazon, a voice nobody could ignore called out.

"That's a very good question great-granddaughter; I myself wonder what the implications of the young Tendo girl's actions might bring." The seriousness of the statement went part way to bringing Akane out of her fury, but being Akane there was always spare fuel for her rages deep inside her.

"Waddya mean implications! All I did was stop your crazy granddaughter from stealing Ranma against his will!"

Ignoring the blatant anger radiating from the young girl and the meekest beginnings of a battle aura Ku-Lon hopped over to the statue-still form of Ranma who, until now, nobody had paid the slightest bit off attention to.

"Future son-in-law, are you okay?" Ranma didn't respond, he just stared vacantly at the spot where he was once bound to Xian-Pu. Ku-Lon gave him a light tap on the head just to be sure. Instead of his usual 'Whadidyoudothatfor!' Ranma's eyes simply rolled back and, he would later deny it ever happening, fainted.

"Airen!" Xian-Pu, still wrapped up in her various wedding attire dropped to the ground at speeds that might have put Happosai to shame and caught Ranma before his head hit the ground, gently laying it down in her lap before thoroughly checking over him. Akane meanwhile had snapped out of seeing Ranma faint and had reverted to her only fall back emotion.

"Now what are you doing! Get away from her Ranma you, you, Per..." The look of absolutely scathing hatred from Xian-Pu's eyes at her caused even her to break off during that last word.

"What wrong with stupid pervert girl, Ranma unconscious, possibly hurt and all you can do is call him names." Her voice didn't raise itself even once during the statement and that alone sent chills through Akane's form before she remembered why she was angry.

"Don't give me that! This is your fault for tying that dumb bit of string around his finger!" A single tear slid from Xian-Pu's eye even before the words were spoken "Yes, and now Airen might be hurt because of us". By now Akane had vented the majority of her anger and could only huff in contempt at what she thought was a victory over the Amazonian warrior. It didn't last; soon she succumbed to her own worries over the unconscious form currently nestled in Xian-Pu's silken lap. However any attempt to go near him was met by more scathing looks of unadulterated hatred.

"At least let me help you Chinese bimbo!"

"Maybe Xian-Pu's fault for tying thread but you no forget who was one to cut it stupid girl!" Her voice was finally hinting at the true anger behind the words. Before, Ku-Lon was watching the display, trying not to come between the two enraged teenagers but she couldn't hold back any longer for fear of what might become of her future son-in-law.

"That's enough you two, Ranma is the main concern here right now, who knows what might have happened thanks to the impromptu cutting of the thread. Cutting it before five o'clock would surely have broken the spell over him and any later would have seen him forever in love with Xian-Pu, but at the exact moment the spell was breaking, who knows?"

That quietened down both girls however Akane still looked at Xian-Pu with loathing and Xian-Pu continued to worry over Ranma's unconscious body. What really worried Ku-Lon was the nature of the boys sleep, she had known him long enough to understand he was anything other than a peaceful sleeper and at the very least he should be snoring.

She hopped on over to his prone form and run a lightning fast check up on his body, mostly through his Ki output and what she could glean from it. There were a few irregularities with the boys Ki that Ku-Lon couldn't make sense of but she supposed she could put that down to any number of things such as his extended Jusenkyo curse or even the Neko-ken training his idiot father put him through. Otherwise she deemed him just as he normally was, simply in a deep state of sleep.

"Don't worry girls, he's merely deep asleep" Satisfied that her cursory check up was enough for now she simply nodded at Xian-Pu, still thoroughly fawning over her fiancée. "Xian-Pu, bring him over to the Nekohanten as soon as possible, I'd like to keep an eye on the boy just in case." Xian-Pu had visibly brightened at the prospect of bringing Ranma over to her home, as well as the news that he wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Okay great Grandmother, Xian-Pu do that now". Meanwhile Akane had continued to silently seethe, irritated at being ignored for so long.

"Excuse me, but don't you think he should come back to the dojo, his home!" Ku-Lon simply regarded Akane as if she were a child asking the most naive of questions.

"Oh, and I suppose your father, or maybe Genma, or perhaps Nabiki has over three thousand years of Amazon healing techniques just lying around the house, waiting to be used on poor son-in-Law there." The remark had caught Akane off guard and before she could recover and retort Xian-Pu had hefted Ranma into a bridal carrying position and walked out with Ku-Lon hopping along-side.

Xian-Pu stopped momentarily outside, firstly to look puzzled at the unconscious and slightly beaten forms of Ukyo, Mu-Tzu and the two Kuno siblings just outside of the doors to the chapel, each with an arm outstretched as if trying to reach for the handle. Ku-Lon merely smirked when she noticed Xian-Pu's gaze. Secondly she stared with uncomfortable longing at the dozing form, comfortably nestled against her chest.

"_What is it Xian-Pu my dear?"_

"_It's silly really Great Grandmother but I was so hoping that when I walked out of those doors today mine and Ranma's positions would be reversed."_

"_Don't worry girl, there's always hope for the future." _Xian-Pu tried to give a hopeful smile but it came across uncertain more than anything else. Secretly she was thinking _'maybe not, Damn that irritating girl, she might ruin everything'._

Unfortunately Ku-Lon's thoughts weren't that much brighter and both Amazons had much to think about as the hopped from rooftop to rooftop on their way back to their home.

* * *

It was dark. That was it, no light. Literally nothing was visible to Ranma. This was no 'closed eyes' dark but a fully fledged shadow world where the very concept of light ceased to exist. Now that he thought about this strange theft of his sense he realised there was no sound either. That was crazy surely? He was listening to his thoughts... right? Again once he thought about it some more he couldn't rationalise away this feeling his very senses had been robbed from him.

For a brief terrifying moment Ranma actually feared that this was death and his only companion for the eternity to come would be himself and the myriad of personalities that might develop in his descent into insanity. It was fleeting however as soon the usual Saotome confidence flooded back to him.

Death. It wasn't so scary, if it had a name it was a thing. If it was a thing then it can be an obstacle and like Shampoo might say 'Obstacle is for killing'. He was Ranma Saotome and he could treat anything as an enemy, he made enough of them by accident as it was. If he really was dead then he would overcome it like everything else life had thrown at him. He laughed briefly at his own pun, failing to realise no sound came from his non-existent mouth.

So busy congratulating himself her very nearly failed to notice the tiniest speck of light flash briefly into existence before fizzling out like some pathetic near-dead candle. He might have passed it off as his mind playing tricks to keep hi sane when it happened again, much brighter, or much closer, one or the other. It lasted almost twice as long this time as well, unfortunately like its predecessor it too faded from existence, if that was what you could call this place.

Ranma waited expectantly for the fledgling light's return and sure enough the speck-turned-blob flared up once more. Now Ranma was certain it was getting closer as he could make out clearly defined colours and patterns swirling in a vortex storm of blinding light. He simply expected it to also bun out after a brief moment of life but the blob, now pane of light surprised him once more by suddenly charging at what he assumed was his 'body' before engulfing his 'form' completely.

He had tried to close his eyes when it happened but in this realm he had none, it was rendered moot anyway as, as soon as the light converged, it receded. However, in its wake it left the swirling colours behind which before him resolved into an image, half-formed and hazy but an image none-the-less. It was of a woman, who exactly he couldn't say, crying as her form retreated from him, no it was the other way around, and he was being taken away from her.

He felt an uncontrollable urge to fight against it but found he couldn't it appeared theses images were out of his control and he soon found another forming before him. This repeated for, he couldn't say how long but to sum it up it was a somewhat hasty recap of his life up to this point. It was as he suspected, the vast majority of it was him training with Pop, some moments with Ukyo, others at the school he and Ryoga both attended and one particularly nasty one of his time in the Neko-ken pit.

The rush of images, sensations and sounds slowed down as he neared their trip to Jusenkyo and the images became better defined, taking on more life. It slowed all the way down into what was basically a living memory, right at the moment he walked through the gates into The Amazon village. Everything was so crisp and clear he felt as though he were actually living it again, so sure of this he was that he tried to actually step in the wrong direction, away from the table mounted with food.

However fate was not designed to be re-written, even in memory and he quickly found himself biting into a juicy piece of meat while looking up at the enraged features of one normally bubbly Amazon. His only coherent thought at this point was 'why this memory in particular?'

* * *

Xian-Pu could help but sneak the occasional glance at her Airen as she carried him onwards toward safety which is why she didn't miss a syllable when the unconscious boy in her arms faintly whispered "Shampoo". Ku-Lon may have missed the softest of words but she certainly didn't miss the faintest of Aura's develop around Xian-Pu as the girl took on an ethereal pink hue.

* * *

**Well that was my first attempt at fanfiction, welcome to flames and reviews, really only doing this for fun, although pointers might be appreciated as I am working on a book and I'll take any help I can. (Also there is sooooooo not enough RanmaxShampoo in the world so I'm doing my part...what about you?)**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Seriously, you think I could have come up with a story about a guy changing into a girl when he touches water? that's totally stu... BRILLIANT!

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The cry rang throughout the small cafe like a gong sounding inside a safe. Many of the customers looked up and around in surprise, whispering to one another about what could have made such an unearthly noise.

Xian-Pu sprinted through the dining area, vaulted the small counter where orders were served and practically skidded into the room which had previously held Ranma's unconscious body. Instead it bore a remarkably Ranma-shaped hole in the wall, as did the wall behind it, as well as the one after that, leaving a very startled family looking over the remains of their dinner on their shattered table.

Xian-Pu ran through the wreckage, determined to catch up to Ranma and find out what was going on with her Airen. Apologising quickly to the perturbed family she rushed through the carnage her fiancée had wrought. Eventually the trail vanished as she rounded the corner onto a deserted street but she carried on down none-the-less.

"Ranma!" She received no response. "Ranma! Xian-Pu want help you!" She had run for a while and had to catch her breath, this proved lucky for her as she noticed for the first time a small child just off to the side of the road. "You see where strange boy with pigtail run to?" The child simply nodded and pointed in the direction of the park. "Aiyah you too too helpful!"

She left the boy behind as she rushed on, a large blush across his features from the mighty hug she had given him as thanks. Now she knew where to go it didn't take her long to reach the park, although the sheer size of it might prove a challenge in finding her pigtailed Airen.

About five minutes into her search Xian-Pu struck lucky. To be honest she would have never paid any mind to the completely ordinary tree, had it not been vibrating uncontrollably. Sure enough when she looked into one of the highest branches she spotted her Airen, his shivering causing the whole tree trunk to quiver.

"Ranma! What you do up in tree?" The familiar voice and innocent, questioning tone snapped Ranma out of whatever state of mind that had caused him to act so weirdly.

"Xian-Pu? I... Uh I mean... what I uh..." In the recesses of Ranma's slightly unstable mind a small snapping sound could almost be heard as the previous day's events came rushing back. Xian-Pu tying on the string, his strange behaviour afterwards, his dismissal of Akane and... the wedding.

Anger replaced uncertainty as Ranma jumped from his lofty perch to land with all the skill and grace a martial artist of his calibre could accomplish. Xian-Pu didn't have time to admire the feat as Ranma grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing him to look him in the face. Normally for Xian-Pu it would have been a joyous thing for her Airen to initiate such intimate contact but from the look on his features she was sure this time it would not live up to expectations.

"Shampoo! What did you do to me yesterday?! First you force me into acting all crazy then you try and marry us while I'm in an unsound state of mind using some stupid magic string. What were you thinking?"

"But Ra..."

"No Shampoo, let me finish! I'm angry okay! To force me into loving you with magic, I know you've tried it before but I let it slide because I knew you were obligated by your Amazon laws. This time you went too far. I outta..."

He trailed off the last sentence when the purple haired girl he had been so vehemently mad at broke down crying, falling to her knees with an expression of defeat in her eyes. If there was one thing that Ranma Saotome hated above all else (well, all else besides cats) it was the sight of a woman crying, especially if he knew that he was the one to cause said tears.

Immediately all the anger and venom in his words drained out as he too crouched down on the park ground. He did his best to comfort Xian-Pu by placing his hand on her shoulder but she flinched away from his touch.

"No. Xian-Pu no deserve Ranma's touch. Ranma right, Xian-Pu desperate and stupid. Should have known not to force Ranma to love Xian-Pu. Xian-Pu know Ranma never love her the way Xian-Pu loves Ranma." This brought on an entirely new wave of sobbing until Ranma just had to interfere.

"Well, Shampoo, I don't know, you know, well, it's" Ranma was furiously rubbing the back of one hand and red had spread from the bridge of his nose to cover half his face. "It's just, why do you always use these tricks and magic, can't you just... you know?" By this time Xian-Pu had just managed to stop crying, however there were still large streaks where the tears had dried on her cheeks. Strangely it didn't run her make-up like Ranma would have expected, which is when he realised that Xian-Pu didn't even wear make-up. This reaffirmed Ranma's idea that Xian-Pu really was cute, although why his thoughts would turn to that at a time like this was beyond him.

"What Ranma mean?" A hopeful twinkle had alighted itself in Xian-Pu's eye "If Xian-Pu stop tricks and magic Ranma might date her?"

If the blush on Ranma's face had even slightly abated in that brief interlude it returned full force after that question. "Well um, I don't... Shampoo, I..."

Immediately that small gleam died before it had a chance to burn and Xian-Pu hung her head, her word barely coming out as a whisper. "See Ranma, this is why Xian-Pu must uses tricks and schemes and ideas from Great grandmother. Ranma no even look at Xian-Pu otherwise. You say Xian-Pu does it because of Laws of Amazon village but you no understand that Xian-Pu try so hard because Ranma is Xian-Pu's Airen."

Ranma thought about interrupting Xian-Pu to argue but the girl wasn't going to allow anything to stop her bearing her soul. "Xian-Pu, no... I... I look at how you act around Perv... Akane. Even though you fight and she hurt you, lots, you always come back to her. This is why Xia... I have to fight, how can I hope to compete with that? I love you Ranma so I do what I have to."

Ranma had never seen this sign of Xian-Pu, never would have even thought it existed if it weren't directly in front of him now, staring him in the face. "Shampoo, I never knew, if-"

"No Ranma, there no need, Xian-Pu know she is to blame, Xian-Pu never tell Ranma how she feel and now she lose him forever to angry girl." The look of utter defeat was son alien on Xian-Pu's normally bubbly and irrepressible features that she looked like a whole different person. Ranma had no idea what to say to try and ease the burden of guilt now firmly entrenched on his shoulders so he decided there was only one thing he could do, reverse the situation.

Xian-Pu's brain barely had time to register as Ranma firmly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a deep hug. Xian-Pu's body reacted automatically, pulling her even deeper into the embrace, with her head nestled in Ranma's strong chest, enjoying the unspoiled, intimate moment.

Of course this was Nerima, Tokyo and no moment can go unspoiled for long, the inevitability chosen by fate today was a group of kids running by with large super soakers.

Xian-Pu didn't mind at all that she had been sprayed by ice cold water she simply ignored it and nestled deeper into Ranma's warm, soft, comforting breasts where she could... wait... breasts? Xian-Pu-Neko looked up into the red-head girls face from her position in the young girls hands.

"C-C-C-Cat!"


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Hmmm, come to think of it, maybe I did create Ranma, and Pokemon, and the genre of ANIME!

* * *

"Akane! Akane"

"What?"

"Akane come quick, it's Ranma!" It was no more that four seconds before Akane came barrelling out of her room and down the stairs.

"What are you talking about Kasumi?"

"Well, I was walking in the park when I heard an awfully familiar meowing, then I saw Ranma-chan up in a tree with Shampoo-Neko at the bottom, you should go now, you know you're the only one who can calm her down when she's like that.

"Right, I'll go now then. Oooooh Shampoo, what have you done now you bimbo Amazon!?"

She was halfway out the door when Kasumi stopped her again, "Oh Akane, don't forget this." She hurriedly handed over the steaming kettle and wandered back into the house to finish unpacking the shopping. Akane was now ready to go and once again walked out the front door.

"Thanks Kasumi!"

Akane ran the entire journey to the park, Ranma and Xian-Pu may be known for their incredible stamina but when Akane set her mind to something she wasn't going to stop without good reason, besides she had to get there quickly or the hot water would cool too much. Now Akane faced a problem exactly the same as the one faced by Xian-Pu not fifteen minutes ago as the park was a big place, it could take forever to find Ranma here.

She was hoping there would be sounds to follow like meows, hisses or even the general sounds of mayhem and destruction but she had no such luck. This either meant Ranma was too far away, had gone completely or, well she couldn't really think what else it could be. She had to try anyhow so she tried what anyone might when looking for a lost cat.

"Here Ranma! Here Girl! Come to Akane, Come on Ranma, come here!" Briefly she thought she had a far off surprised meow but it could have been her imagination, she followed it and continued calling out to Ranma, this time with no reply whatsoever. After a while wandering in the general direction she thought the sound had come from she figured she would have had to cross paths with whatever had made the noise.

Emerging from some bushes she found she was in fact correct, even though she now wished she wasn't. There, in front of her, purring contentedly away was Ranma-Chan, curled up snugly on Xian-Pu's very much human lap, while all she wore was her slightly oversized shirt. She was lightly scratching behind Ranma's ears as the aforementioned girl leaned into the gestures with what could only be described as affection, rubbing her body across Xian-Pu's in the way cats do when receiving such treatment.

The shade of red that best described the colour Akane's face had turned was somewhere between maroon and rosewood.

"Just WHAT do you think you're DOING!" Her angry words were very quickly followed by an impressive punt, hurling the very startled Ranma a good distance away across the park. Xian-Pu merely looked up in annoyance, as if she was expecting this as inevitability but still didn't want her there, which was probably very close to the truth.

"What violent girl do that for?"

"What are you talking about, I was punishing that pervert for rubbing up against you like that, I mean really, what was she thinking?" Xian-Pu looked, trying to figure out what reasoning, if any, logic the girl was using to back up her words. Finding none she shouted at her in indignation.

"Stupid girl, Airen can no help herself when she in Nekoken, you no would attack any other cat on someone's lap would you? Her words startled made Akane start for a moment and Xian-Pu didn't wait for her to find a retort as she huffed and stalked off in the direction the poor cat-girl had flew. The cogs in Akane's brain were working overtime as it took in what had just happened and tried to make sense out of it.

By the time she snapped out of her trance Xian-Pu had already walked out of sight, leaving behind the majority of her clothes and a still steaming but emptied thermos. Akane's features twisted themselves into a scowl before she ran off after the two girls.

"Oh no you don't, this isn't my fault!"

It didn't take long for her to catch up to Xian-Pu who was in the process of coaxing Ranma out of the tree. It seemed to be working and the suspicious cat-girl was edging her way down the tree, however once glance at Akane sent scurrying straight back up into one of the higher branches where she sat, hissing in her direction. Akane was taken aback by the ferocity of the gesture, usually as a cat Ranma was only happy around her; she was usually the only one who could calm her down enough to revert.

"Ahh! Look what violent girl do now. Now it takes even longer for Xian-Pu to get Ranma out of tree than last time!" Strangely Akane's mind was shouting at her to apologise, admit she was actually wrong in this instance for punishing Ranma, but all that came out of her mouth was

"Fine! Then I suppose you don't need this!" and with that she violently hurled the kettle she was holding at Ranma's form high up in the tree. The latter easily dodged the scalding metal container, but not before a good deal of its contents splashed out onto the more than surprised Cat-girl now boy.

Akane merely smirked, awaiting the inevitable "Whaddyadothatfor!" However it never came, instead a much lower hissing could be heard from Ranma's perch on the tree-branch as a now male Ranma continued his hissing even more fervently.

"Huh, that's odd. Changing forms always snaps him out of the Nekoken." She continued to look on in confusion even as Xian-Pu hurriedly made her way up the tree, leaping from branch to branch.

"Can violent girl no do anything right?" She decided to do away with caution as she touched down on Ranma's branch, motioning with her hands for him to come to her. "Here Airen, come to Xian-Pu Ranma. We go take you to Great grandmother to see why you no change back".

She leapt back down when Ranma was safely in her arms and only stopped to stick out her tongue at Akane. Ranma also used the opportunity to hiss once more at the girl who had kicked him before once again snuggling into position in Xian-Pu's grip. Akane watched the two forms retreat into the distance, her eye twitching furiously the entire time.

* * *

Ku Lon was busy sorting through the mail when Xian-Pu entered the Nekohanten carrying Ranma.

"Hello dear, What's going on?"

"One moment great grandmother" She held up a finger as best she could while carrying Ranma in her arms before setting him down on one of the booths against the wall where he happily curled up. The scent of food and the warm atmosphere of the restaurant sent him straight into contented sleep. "Ranma, you sure are heavy!"

Once that was done Xian-Pu recounted the day's events from when the two were soaked with water up until they left Akane still fuming in the park. As they talked Mu-Tzu entered from the kitchen area, completely oblivious to Ranma's dozing form in the corner. He made a bee-line for the discarded pile of mail where he casually sorted through the various letters and parcels, looking for his name on any of them.

"There's nothing to worry about dear, Ranma didn't revert back when he changed because he felt threatened, so he couldn't leave the Neko-ken or he might have been vulnerable, at least that is what he would have thought, once he wakes up he'll be back to normal.

"Aiyah, that a relief, Xian-Pu was worried Ranma might be stuck as a cat forever! This is too too good news!" Mu-Tzu's ears perked up at the mention of his rivals name but it was quickly forgotten as he found a letter addressed to him in a handwriting he would recognise until his last days. The smile on his face at having received a letter from his mother after so long slowly but surely turned into a frown, which soon after developed into a look of depression that would have made Ryoga blush (not that that would take much at all).

Ku-Lon immediately noticed the change in him and after checking Ranma over for the second time that day to check her statement was in fact true she questioned him.

"What is it boy? What's the matter?"

"Mind your own business you dried up piece of jerky." There was none of the usual loathing in Mu-Tzu's words that time so Ku-Lon only gave him a light tap on the head for his disrespect. He acted as though nothing had happened.

"Why Mu-Tzu so sad?"

The voice of his beloved Xian-Pu cut through his heart like a knife, especially with his mother's written word still fresh in his mind.

"Xian-Pu...I...I...I can't!" and with that he ran out of the cafe at full pelt and was out of sight in a moment.

"Huh, that was strange; I wonder what got Mu-Tzu so rattled." Ku-Lon quickly understood the problem when she read the letter Mu-Tzu had left discarded when he ran out. "Oh dear, it seems Mu-Tzu's mother is anxiously awaiting his return, no wonder the boy is so confused, the guilt he must be feeling... terrible." Xian-Pu had to fervently disagree that it was terrible.

"This too too good! Now mu-Tzu go back to China and leave Xian-Pu with her true Airen!"

"Don't be so sure Xian-Pu; you know firsthand just how tenacious that boy can be about his affections toward you, although you may just be right. This could be the final straw that makes Mu-Tzu finally realize he is wasting his time here and should go home to move on with his life."

Xian-Pu barely listened to her Great grandmother voicing her thoughts as she hopped up and down in joy, clutching the letter to her chest.

"Now nothing will stand in way of Xian-Pu and her Airen, Aiyah!"

As if his ears were burning Ranma chose that moment to stir from his sleep. He sat up, stretched, rubbed his stomach and yawned before blearily looking around his surrounding to see where he was.

"Ah son-in-law, its good you're up, before you ask you were in the Neko-ken and-"

"Save it you old Ghoul, I remember everything that happened" He said it so casually it caught even Ku-Lon off guard. After giving him a quick bonk on the head for the 'ghoul' comment she tried to get to the bottom of this.

"What are you talking about son-in-law?"

"I dunno, sort of simple really I just remember what happened after I turned. Not really what I felt at the time, just images and sounds." As he said it he rubbed the sore spot on his side where Akane's foot had connected.

"Hmmm, this is interesting; perhaps you are beginning to control the Neko-ken after all"

"No, like I said I only remember, I have no control over what I do in that state."

"That may be boy, but this is certainly a step in the right direction, perhaps we will have to test this further." A rather large sweat drop appeared on both Ranma and Xian-Pus heads as Ku-Lon suggested it.

"Oh no you don't, you ain't bringing any cats near me on purpose, you hear you old ghoul!" And with that he unknowingly followed Mu-Tzu's example and fled the cafe. Ku-Lon just chuckled to herself.

"What you do that for great grandmother!"

"Calm down dear, it was just a joke."

"Well it not funny!" And as if there was a fixed echo in the room she stormed out through the door flaps in the direction Ranma had fled.

Xian-Pu found Ranma walking down the street, muttering curses about Ku-Lon under his breath and talking about what he was going to do to her. She surprised him by grabbing his hand, startling him out of the miniature tirade he had been working up.

"Xian-Pu agree with Ranma, Great Grandmother go too far joking like that." Ranma still seemed irritated but the worst of it was now behind him.

"Well uhh, thanks Shampoo, I guess."

"Is no problem Ranma, Is it true you remember everything that happen in Neko-ken?" A large blush formed across the bridge of Ranma's nose as he remembered exactly what moments he was sure Xian-Pu was referring to, specifically him nuzzling up to her, purring.

"Uhh well, you know, not everything made, some things were slightly hazy and-"

"So Ranma remember Akane attacking him then?" That made Ranma start.

"Oh that's what you meant?" he once again rubbed the sore spot on his side that he was sure was going to be a fairly nasty bruise in the morning. "Yeah I remember that, but I mean, I wouldn't call it attacking, It's Akane so-" Xian-Pu rounded on Ranma, flustered.

"Why Ranma always defend violent girl, huh? She hit you and argues but you never blame her, always ignore."

"Well, it's not like her kicks or hammers hurt me that badly, and even Ukyo hits me with her spatula occasionally. Hey, even you've hit me a few times; hell you tried to kill me the first month after we met." It was Xian-Pu's turn to blush from embaressment.

"That different, Xian-Pu obligated by Amazon law to hunt down outsider girl who defeat her."

"Just like you're obligated to marry any guy that defeat you right?" Xian-Pu was becoming more and more frustrated. She didn't like how Ranma managed to twist her words like so many others did and made her out to be the bad guy.

"Xian-Pu no love Ranma because of stupid Amazon law! Xian-Pu love her Airen because he strong, and kind. Ranma always help people in need, you also brave and never back down from challenge. Xian-Pu love Ranma because he Ranma, but if law tells Xian-Pu what she already knows then fine, it no bad thing!"

Ranma had honestly never heard anything so kind said about him in his life; he was even more surprised to hear it from the girl standing before him. So unprepared for the words his usually agile mind was unable to form a coherent sentence to reply. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) he didn't have to as the moment was suddenly interrupted by one half-blind Chinese teen.

"Saotome! How dare you even speak to my beloved Xian-Pu!"

"Grrrr Mousse, what do you want?"

"Yeah, get lost Mu-Tzu, we is having private moment"

"Don't worry Xian-Pu, when I defeat Ranma his vile spell over you will be over and you can be mine again, like when we were kids." He turned his attention back to the man he had come here to really talk to. Or at least that's who he thought he was talking to, in reality it was a lamp post.

"This is it Saotome, I'm challenging you one last time, no holds barred, winner takes Xian-Pu. If I lose..." He took a longing look in Xian-Pu's general direction "... if I lose, I go back to China, for good."

"Hey you jerk; she's not a piece of meat!"

"Ahh so you refuse my challenge and forfeit then"

"Like hell I do, bring it o-". Before he could even finish the sentence a mass of chains that must have been about three times the volume of Mu-Tzu himself shot out of the self-proclaimed Master of hidden weaponry's sleeves, all of which Ranma managed to dodge out of a bit of luck and inherent skill brought about by a lifetime of training.

Before he could recover from the initial attack a barrage of shurikens were thrown a fistful at a time, each would have hit home with extreme precision had it not been for Ranma's honed reflexes. As it was it proved too much for even the heir to the anything goes school as he found his clothing torn in a few areas that, had he been a girl, would have surely condemned his modesty. As it was Ranma simply ripped of the tattered remains of his red shirt to reveal his toned, muscled torso beneath.

"I liked that shirt you jerk!" there was no snide or hateful remark from Mu-Tzu, only a look of extreme concentration as the next wave of attacks begun. Two honed blades slid out of each sleeve of Mu-Tzu's seemingly infinite robe as he closed in to bring the fight up close and personal. This was his first mistake, giving up the tactical advantage of distance but Ranma didn't stop to correct him as he too closed in on his opponent, intending to finally gain the offensive.

He jumped, delivering a spinning kick to Mu-Tzu's head which should have taken him out instantly, but all his foot met was thin air as Mu-Tzu ducked down, so instead Ranma allowed his foot to follow suit and brought it down on the top of his head. The blow did less damage than it would have but it was enough to send his opponent reeling back.

Taking advantage of his momentary confusing Ranma closed in and grabbed Mu-Tzu's blades, snapping them with eases and using the two new blades he acquired, he cut open Mu-Tzu's robe at the front. The rest soon followed and soon his rival was standing in nothing more that his trousers and shoes. The manoeuvre was so fast that Mu-Tzu didn't even realise it had happened and when he reached into his now non-existent robe and found nothing there Ranma delivered a savage kick to his chest that sent the Chinese boy flying back into a nearby wall, leaving a roughly Mu-Tzu sized impact crater.

"Aiyahhh! Ranma beat Mu-Tzu! Now you have to go home, you said so!" Mu-Tzu didn't reply from his position, slumped over on the floor. Xian-Pu happily skipped over and produced a plane ticket to China from seemingly nowhere; placing it on Mu-Tzu's hunched over form.

"Xian-Pu will pack for you; leave bags outside of Cat-cafe. Bye bye Mu-Tzu!"

She ran excitedly back to where Ranma was still standing "Airen this is too too good, you fight Mu-Tzu amazing now he no longer bother us anymore!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Ranma almost didn't believe the words himself, almost nothing ever really changed in Nerima and here, he had finally defeated one of his rivals for good. Just then his stomach let out an almighty growl.

"Oh, Xian-Pu can no let Airen be hungry, we go to Ucchan's get food and tell her good news!" Ranma was still too stunned by his realisation to realize what was happening and allowed himself to be led off by Xian-Pu.

"Yeah alright, let's go to Ucchan's..."

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**Author's note: I'm not really sure about using the Chinese character's more Chinese-sounding names, it seems more right to me but somehow slows down the story... maybe? I'm not sure, leave me a review saying what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Or maybe I do, what difference does it really make to you, I mean do people even read this bit? Purple gibbon sleeping on a polka-dot alligator while flipping off Churchill the dog.

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"Mmmmmm, I fink youg oudun gourfelf ugaan!" It was a few days after the incident with Mu-Tzu and Ranma was happily eating away at one of Ukyo's Tokyo-famous okonomiyakis. After the fight Xian-Pu had half-dragged him over to Ucchan's to get some food and immediately the hostilities had erupted with Ukyo and Xian-Pu nearly breaking into a fully-fledged fight.

However Ranma had had a long, tiring day and didn't want to put up with their, in his opinion, childish antics. At first he had thought he had made a mistake by coming between the two steaming girls but once he took the weapons right out of their hands, including Ukyo's spatula bandoleer, he had gotten them to calm down.

It was Ukyo who apologised first, although there was a hint of sarcasm in her words. It was lucky Xian-Pu didn't catch on thanks to her less than expert grasp on the Japanese language. Xian-Pu followed suit and reluctantly apologised after Ranma gave her a stern look. He had gone on to tell her that Ucchan was one of his oldest friends and that he wanted the two of them to get along, even if it never amounted to friendship. Ranma figured it wasn't asking too much for civility between the two rival fiancées.

Actually, much to Ranma's surprise once the two sat down and actually talked for a while, with Ranma making sure they never strayed into touchy subjects, they got on quite well. The main focuses of their conversations revolved around their equal love of cooking, their shared affinity for large weaponry and, embarrassingly, their joint admiration of Ranma. It was at that point Ranma had decided to leave them alone to their conversations.

He still suspected the two had done it on purpose to get him to leave them alone but they didn't break into a single fight the entire evening. There was a brief argument over the merits of various toppings on Okonomiyaki and Ramen but it was more of a heated debate than an outright disagreement.

Xian-Pu had left that night a bit disgruntled at having her words twisted around by the young chef but all in all she was in high spirits. Ranma was happy to think that there was on small aspect of his life he wasn't going to have to worry about for the foreseeable future. It wasn't the only surprise that night as when the two left Ucchan's Xian-Pu latched onto Ranma's arm in what might be described as a 'glomp-lite' kissed him softly on the cheek and ran off giggling down the street shouting "See you later Ranma".

Ranma was brought back from his memories by Ukyo's soft laugh.

"Finish your mouthful Ranchan, I can't understand you." He hurriedly gulped down his mouthful of delicious calamari okonomiyaki before replying.

"Sorry Ucchan, I said I think you've out done yourself this time, this is delicious, one of your best ever by far." Ukyo blushed delightedly, turning shyly away from Ranma just like every other time he complimented her.

"Oh Ranma honey, you don't mean that!"

"Sure I do, it's great!" As if to prove the point he quickly wolfed down the remains of the savoury pancake and held out the empty plate as if asking for seconds. Ukyo was only happy to oblige, quickly but carefully whipping up another of the delicious disks on the grill surrounding the bar with expert skill.

"Here you go Ranchan, one more seafood okonomiyaki, on the house as always"

"Thanks Ucchan, hey are you sure you don't want to charge me for these? I don't want to put you out of business or anything" He said it with a small chuckle but the question itself was serious. While some may call his living off the Tendos freeloading, he always considered himself an extension of his father's over-stayed welcome. He took owing debts seriously and he didn't want any possible conflict between them in the future.

"Oh Ranma honey, I could never charge you for food, and it will take a lot more than you to put this place out of business." She said it jokingly but Ranma had noticed that Ukyo was getting a lot more business recently. He was happy that she was doing so well, she really was never happier than when she cooked Okonomiyaki.

"Nihao Ranma! Nihao Ukyo!" Ranma was so caught up in his own thoughts he had completely missed Xian-Pu entering the restaurant. The bubbly Amazon walked right up to the pair and almost tiredly sat herself down next to Ranma's chair. He noted a distinct lack of the Amazon's usual energy today, not to mention she had actually announced her presence with words as opposed to her normal glomp.

"Hiya Shampoo" Ranma once again noticed just how well the two usual rivals were getting along lately. Xian-Pu had stopped calling Ukyo 'Spatula girl' and whilst Ukyo didn't say 'sugar' or 'honey' after greeting Xian-Pu there was none of the underlying irritation when she said it. Ranma couldn't help but feel proud at bringing the two even a little bit closer together.

"Hey Shampoo, you don't look so good, in fact you look exhausted!" Ranma looked at Xian-Pu again; now that Ukyo mentioned it Xian-Pu did look tired, very in fact. There were bags under her eyes and her movements were sluggish and lacked the usual energetic grace the proud Amazon held.

"Yeah, what's wrong Shampoo?" before a few days ago Xian-Pu might have hugged Ranma on the spot for such concern over her well-being but since her and Ukyo had agreed not to act that way while in each other's company she settled for a meek smile.

"It nothing you have to worry about Ranma but thank you for concern" Ranma didn't like not knowing things, especially when those things caused such drastic changes in somebody he knew.

"Oh no, I'm not going to let something or someone do this to you." Again Xian-Pu had to fight her instinctual urge to latch on to Ranma at the slightest hint of affection. "Was it mousse? I thought that jerk had been quiet lately. What's he been up to?" Xian-Pu just sighed softly.

"Ranma, Mu-Tzu go home days ago."

"What?" When he had beaten Mu-Tzu last time he had felt a change in the psychotic boy but he had never actually expected him to leave.

"Yes, when Great Grandmother find out about challenge she make sure Mu-Tzu get on earliest flight possible. We even get postcard..." She looked irritated for a moment "...lots of postcards."

"Well if Mousse's gone why do you look so tired?"

"Oh, with Mu-Tzu gone Xian-Pu have to do more at Nekohanten, pick up slack Mu-Tzu leave behind." Ukyo looked appalled.

"That's horrible, why doesn't Cologne hire someone else?"

"Mu-Tzu worked for free to be close to Xian-Pu, we can no afford more workers."

"I've got an idea!" Ranma got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Ranma-sugar, you should go and help out. Take some of the stress off Shampoo!" Ranma was about to whole heartedly disagree, the thought of what Akane might do when she found out making him shiver, but looking at the tired, slumped over form of the girl next to him made the words in his head and the words out of his mouth jumble.

"Uhh, if you think it would help?" Xian-Pu immediately gained some of her old energy back as she first looked startled, then ecstatic.

"Oh Ranma, you do that for Xian-Pu! This too too wonderful" She couldn't help it this time and practically jumped onto Ranma in a massive bear hug. Meanwhile Ranma tryed a futile attempt at dislodging her.

"Come on Shampoo, not here remember!" he was shooting desperate glances at Ukyo to see what the unpredictable Okonomiyaki chef might do but she simply chuckled and went back to cooking for another customer.

"It's alright Ranchan, I'll let this one slide, the girls had a rough time." So Ranma was left rubbing the back of head so vigorously that he threatened to draw blood and turn the back of his head the same shade of red as his face.

"Thanks Ukyo!" Xian-Pu said it like a child might, receiving a cookie from an adult and furiously returned to her attempt to break Ranma's spine with her love. The somewhat awkward yet warm moment was broken into by a large shadow falling over them. It turned out to be a ver large man, blocking the entrance to Ucchan's with his bulk.

"Hey there honey, welcome to Ucchan's, take a seat and I'll be right with you." The man didn't respond, instead drawing something out of his coat and throwing them as a ninja might shuriken, at Ukyo. The trained chef deftly caught the projectiles, looking at them briefly to see they were a hand of cards; she had a seven of clubs, an eight of Diamonds, a Jack of Clubs a seven of Diamonds and a two of clubs.

The large man now strode into the restaurant, struggling to get his large bulk through the doorway. He held up his own hand of cards, revealing a royal flush.

"Sorry, you lose." Ranma was already up and in an offensive fighting stance.

"Just what are you trying to pull here!" he couldn't make out the guys face as his head was down and his large hat blocked out some of the light reaching his eyes but something about him reeked of familiarity.

"Oh Ranma, You're here as well. Excellent." With that he dealt Ranma his own hand but it wasn't much better than Ukyo's. "Sorry, you lose as well." Ranma flamed up in a bright red aura.

"Ranma Saotome never loses!"

"Oh really, explain this then." The man held up a roughly square scrap of paper with a handwritten message scribbled across it. Two of the occupants immediately recognised it and both Ukyo and Ranma shouted out

"It's you!" The bulky man raised his head and for the first time Xian-Pu got a look at his face. Having played card games with her great Grandmother once or twice she immediately noted a similarity between this man and the king on the playing cards. He had the same golden curly beard and the same cheesy smile that was usually reserved for pictures.

What you want here crazy card man?"

"Oh we have another player do we?" As he placed his hand in his pocket to draw out more cards Ranma dove forward, delivering a swift kick to the man's rotund side. While he was closed he also grabbed the exposed piece of paper, quickly devouring the offending object before diving back again to stand ready next to Ukyo and Xian-Pu who had also adopted fighting stances.

"You dirty cheat!"

"Yeah well, now you got no evidence so what are you still here for." The man chuckled evilly which sent chills down Ranma's spine.

"You may be off the hook boy, but she" he pointed at Ukyo to make his point clear "Still owes me for all those years ago. Where's the Okonomiyaki cart girl?" Ukyo's angry gaze didn't waver for a second.

"I don't have it anymore, it was stolen." It wasn't a complete lie but she didn't want to have to tell this jerk the embarrassing truth. As if reading her thoughts Ranma shot her a guilty but apologetic look. She dismissed his guilt with a quick shake of her head before turning back to face the man. "So you can just get lost!"

"Oh well, that's too bad. I'll guess I'll have to settle for your restaurant then." A unanimous cry arose from all three teenagers.

"What!?"

"Simple business really, I have a right to anything I deem of equal value to that cart, and seeing as that was your business then, and this is your business now, I'll take the restaurant."

"Xian-Pu no care who crazy card man is, you no take restaurant away from Ukyo!" Ranma nodded vigorously in agreement. However as both were preparing to leap at the man and beat the crap out of him for even thinking about stealing Ukyo's business, a giant spatula blocked their attack. They looked questioningly over at Ukyo who just sadly shook her head.

"No guys, the gambling king is right. I lost to him, so I have to pay the consequences."

"But Ucchan!"

"But Ukyo!"

"I said no guys. Fine Gambling King, you have my restaurant for now but I'll be back to play you for it all over again!"

"Looking forward to it." And with those final words Ukyo strode out with her head held high, Ranma and Xian-Pu in tow.

"Wow Ucchan, that's terrible what he did. Tell you what, while you wait to play him again you can come and stay over at the Tendo house."

"Thanks Ranchan I appreciate it."

"Xian-Pu still no understand what happen back there"

"I'll explain on the way over Shampoo." And he did. Ranma old Xian-Pu all about how he and Ukyo had met the Gambling king back when they were kids and Ukyo had lost to him over and over again until she bet the family Okonomiyaki cart, and still lost. Then he told her how he had gone up against the Gambling king, but hadn't aired much better. He omitted the part about betting the Tendo dojo as he felt it didn't matter anymore but he finished up by saying they had tied him up and thrown him over a nearby bridge, thinking they would never see him again.

The whole description had sent Xian-Pu into deep thought as if she were working out a problem in her head.

"But don't worry Shampoo; this is mine and Ranchan's problem to deal with." Xian-Pu merely nodded, still deep in her own thoughts. Ranma could have sworn he could see miniature cogs turning until finally something clicked. There might aswell have been a flashing lightbulb over Xian-Pu's head as she cried out "Aiyah!" Startling Ranma and Ukyo.

"What is it Shampoo?" Xian-Pu seemed to realise she had said it out loud and giggled a little nervously.

"Is nothing Ranma, Xian-Pu just remember... Uhh, good memory? Yes Xian-Pu think of good time in China is all." Ranma didn't have time to pry further as they had reached the Tendo residence where the tell-tale sound of concrete slabs being smashed could be heard from around the back.

"Aww man, Akane sounds angry."

"Is alright Ranma, Xian-Pu no let violent girl touch her Airen."

"Um, Thanks Shampoo... I guess"

"Is no problem." She said it in that whimsical innocent way where she turned her head slightly that would have made most guys melt into a puddle on the spot. Ranma on the other hand was more focused on what was going to happen as he opened the door.

"Oh hello Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyo" Kasumi nodded curtly after each name before walking back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. She made a mental note to prepare extra if the two guests were staying.

"RANMA!" The moment he had been dreading arrived as Akane stormed down the hallway in his direction wearing her slightly sweaty Gi and head wrap. Concrete dust still clung to the side of her hands, which were now balled up in fists, one prepared to pull out her inter-dimensional mallet at the slightest hint of attitude from Ranma.

"Oh hey Akane, been working out?" Ranma hoped the small compliment would go some way to calming Akane down but it had the opposite effect.

"Oh what, so I'm such a tomboy for working out, not doing what girls do eh?!"

"What?! No! I didn't mean that" The mallet was out now but its downward swing was blocked by Ukyo's massive spatula.

"Get out of the way Ukyo, this jerk deserves it"

"No Akane, it's my fault he's been away." Akane's anger just seemed to double.

"Oh so THAT'S how it is then! And what's SHE doing her anyway?" The question was directed at Ranma but her scathing look at Xian-Pu was indication of who she was talking about.

"What, Shampoo? She was just helping is all." Akane immediately took this in the worst possible way.

"WHAT?! Ranma you PERVERT!" Once again the mallet swing was blocked, this time by a well place Chúi.

"Violent girl no hurt Ranma. He just try help Ukyo after crazy card man take restaurant." Some of Akane's near-limitless anger was replaced by momentary confusion.

"Huh? Your... Restaurant?"

"Yeah, I told Ucchan she could stay here until she won it back" The anger returned again as she focused her attention on Ranma.

"Oh no you don't. She just want's to get close to you. Well I'm not having it. She's not staying here, we have enough freeloaders as it is!"

It was Ranma's turn to get angry "What do you mean? She has nowhere else to go and you would just kick her out. That's so, so... heartless" Finally something got through to Akane as the accusation pierced her like a well-placed knife.

"Ranma I-"

"Is okay Ranma, Ukyo can stay at Cat Cafe with me and Great Grandmother until she beat stupid card man. We no kick out helpless girl onto street."

"Really? Thanks a lot Shampoo, that's so nice." Ukyo was starting to look on Xian-Pu in a whole new light and this offer had just won her a few points in her eyes, whilst the whole affair had notched Akane down from her already considerably low position. The latter was still hurt by Ranma's accusation but was annoyed from being kept out of the loop.

"Just what is going on here?"

"Why violent girl care? She just kick out Ukyo anyway." And with that she grabbed Ukyo's hand, huffed and led the girl out of the house. Ranma just looked at Akane in a way he had never done before. It wasn't anger or annoyance and with dread in her heart she realised it was disappointment.

"I can't believe you Akane." It was only five little words but to her they were each a small bullet, boring into her chest. He turned and ran after the two retreating girls, leaving Akane alone to ponder what had just happened... Again.

* * *

"Thank you again for letting me stay here Cologne, it's very gracious."

"No problem dear, you can stay in Mu-Tzu's old room, I'm fairly certain I got all the concealed traps out."

"I insist that since I'll be staying here I work to pay off any debt, perhaps as a chef or delivery girl."

"That's very gracious girl, and we wouldn't want your considerably culinary skills going to waste now would we?" Ukyo blushed at the compliment but Ranma quickly interrupted.

"This is nice and all but what we should really be doing is finding a way to beat the Gambling-" He was cut off as a double cry came from the restaurant entrance.

"Big sister Xian-Pu!" Ranma cringed.

"That sounded like-" He was cut off again, this time by Xian-Pu.

"Ling-Ling! Lung-Lung!"


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Flib Flop Rabbity Tashmagarp, I still don't believe anyone reads these.

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"Aiyah, Ling-Ling! Lung-Lung! What you do in Japan. Xian-Pu thought you go back to China." Both young girls happily hugged Xian-Pu as she leaned in and hugged back.

"We did go back to China but we hear the Xian-Pu husband have other fiancée's so we come back to defeat them so only Xian-Pu left!" Ling-Ling looked suspiciously at Ukyo. "Is this one of Fiancées?" Ukyo got up angrily.

"Well for your information I-" Ranma cut her off by covering her mouth.

"She's just the new chef here, don't mind her. Now, just out of curiosity, what exactly would you do if I DID have other fiancées?"

"That easy, they obstacles to Xian-Pu happiness-" Lung-Lung finished the sentence "-and obstacle is for killing!" Ranma couldn't help but snicker a bit.

"Sorry, but last time you were here you two weren't exactly the best of fighters."

"We train-" "-and learn new techniques-" "-passed down over three thousand years of Amazon history." Ranma looked questioningly at Ku-Lon who simply shrugged at him. "That right, we learn Super Phoenix Technique." Ku-Lon let out a small gasp.  
"The secret Amazon technique passed down over three thousand years of Amazon history to defend the Great Wall of China against the Mongolian hordes!"

Ranma flinched back from the pair "E-E-Entire Mongolian hordes! Well then good thing I don't have any other fiancées and there will be no need to use that technique." Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung still looked suspicious.

"So Xian-Pu is your only fiancée?" Ranma walked over to Xian-Pu and gave her a massive hug causing Ukyo to sweat drop.

"Yup, just me and my one and only fiancée!" Xian-Pu immediately took the hint, not that she needed telling, and hugged Ranma back, even pressing her luck and planting a small kiss on his cheek.

"Aiyah Ranma, you too too frisky today!" Satisfied by the dislay of affection between the two the two young girls simply nodded, smiling.

"It good Xian-Pu finally catch Ranma-" "-but shame we no get to try out new technique." Ranma just laughed and began ushering them out the door.

"Oh well, nothing you can do about it, see you next time, I'm sure you've got a flight to catch." He was stopped from his attempted extraction of the two girls by a gnarled wooden staff.

"Nonsense, the girls are practically family, they'll stay with us for a while." Shampoo and the two girls looked ecstatic. Ranma pulled Ku-Lon over to the side whilst the three younger Amazons excitedly talked about what they were going to do during their stay.

"Whaddya trying to pull you old ghoul?" After receiving his complimentary bonk on the head Ku-Lon just looked at him with all the innocence the small, aging woman could manage.

"Why Son-in-law I have no idea what you might be talking about." She then announced in a much louder voice "Alright everyone, these three have had a long day, and I'm sure you two must be very tired from your flight so I think it's best we retire for the evening. Girls, I'm sure Ukyo won't mind you staying in her room while you are here."

Ukyo smiled and nodded and the two Amazons bowed in thanks. "Now off to your rooms everyone." Ranma continued to look curiously at Ku-Lon, trying to work out the angle she was pulling but gave up and just nodded, heading toward the door. Once again he was stopped by that same gnarled staff. "Now Ranma, where are you going? Yours and Xian-Pu's room is the other way."

"M-M-Mine and Shampoo's W-W-What?" Both Ranma and Xian-Pu looked confused until the elderly woman continued.

"It's not like your leaving your fiancée and sleeping somewhere else or with someone else. That would be highly suspicious and unusual." She said it with a mocking laugh as if it was merely a joke but Ranma understood the underlying insinuation.

"Oh, Oh yeah, Mine and Shampoo's" He gulped, "R-Room." Xian-Pu on the other hand couldn't be happier. She grabbed Ranma's arm and dragged him away from the others calling good night to everybody as they left. Finally she slammed her room door behind her and just stared at Ranma as he grumbled something about her Great Grandmother under his breath.

"Xian-Pu too too happy Ranma is staying with Xian-Pu, even for a little while."

"Uhh, yeah, sure Shampoo" As he said it he looked around Xian-Pu's room, surprisingly he had never been in here before and he was just noticing how small it was, it was mainly taken up by a large wardrobe, two weapon racks, her bed and a desk. There wasn't even enough room on the floor to lay down a futon.

"Ummm Shampoo?"

"Yes Airen?"

"Where am I going to sleep?" She laughed as if the question itself was absurd. "In Xian-Pu's bed of course, silly Ranma."

"But then where will you sleep?" Xian-Pu adopted a stern but bemused expression.

"Why Ranma act so strange, Xian-Pu sleep in her own bed, where else? Doesn't Ranma like Xian-Pu?" A single tear rolled down Xian-Pu's otherwise flawless cheek. She knew that if anything could get Ranma Saotome to see reason it was a woman crying. The change was immediate.

"No, no Xian-Pu, of course I like you, I was just joking, please don't cry!" Xian-Pu's emotional change was even more apparent.

"Aiyah then we get ready now, yes?" Rama found himself gulping out of nervousness for the second time today.

"R-Ready?"

"Ready for bed" and with that she removed her large shirt in one movement, leaving herself completely naked. Ranma just did what came naturally and turned away, furiously calmping his eyes shut.

"Sh-Shampoo! What are you doing?!" If there was a stage further than clamping your eyes shut then Ranma managed it as he did everything humanly possibly not to open his eyes as Xian-Pu slowly hugged him, pressing her... He shook his head trying to rid himself of the feelings emerging.

"Xian-Pu always sleep without clothes, is too too comfy. Maybe Ranma try it!"

"Xian-Pu please put your shirt back on."

"Why?" Ranma had to think quick and he knew only one thing that might work.

"If you do, I'll get in bed with you, but only if you do." Xian-Pu wasn't sure whether to be happy or not. On one hand she did get to sleep in the same bed with her Airen, with him knowing about it, but on the other she couldn't do it exactly as she hoped.

"Okay Ranma, if you really want." She let him go and put her shirt back on, hoping at least that he might sneak a peek, When he didn't she just huffed.

"Okay Ranma, Xian-Pu dressed." He turned slowly, just in case it was a trick but once he confirmed it he looked at her properly.

"Why Ranma act so strange. Normal boy would be happy to see girl without clothes. Also Ranma see girl-type all the time." Infuriatingly Ranma just shrugged and glanced at the bed. Xian-Pu had almost forgotten that little condition of their agreement and excitedly hopped into bed, patting the spot next to her gently.

Slowly Ranma approached and slid onto the bed, unfortunately for him, or fortunately for her, there wasn't much room on the small bed and they found themselves pressed together. Xian-Pu happily leaned into the embrace, thinking she would never complain about the size of her bed ever again.

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**Authors note: Sorry about the small size of the chapter but quality over quantity eh? I didn't realise just how much I would write for this part so now I don't think the rest of what I had planned would fit. Don't worry, it's coming though.**


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Unless you believe that conspiracy about... no maybe I shouldn't say.

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Ranma never thought waking up could be so peaceful. The usual bucket of cold water his father would deliver on him, even before he received the curse, had been his alarm clock for the past fourteen years. However this peculiarity at him waking of his own accord didn't register with his brain in the way it probably should have.

This early in the morning certain synapses just wouldn't fire and his mind made no connection with his observation and any memories he had. What it did notice was the warm comforting mass that was pressed up against his front, which he also had his arms loosely wrapped around. Not wanting to succumb to the waking world just yet, nor lose this strange new comfort he hugged the warm mass even tighter.

The response was a quiet, but still noticeable murmur that, oddly enough, didn't come from him. Finally deciding enough was enough with all these peculiarities with his deeply ingrained morning routine his brain forced his eyes to open a crack. Now he knew he must be losing it at the world had turned... purple? No that wasn't right, when his vision focused he realised he could pick out individual strands, that was good, it was just hair.

That was right about the time realisation hit him like a steamroller. Purple hair?! The power with which he launched himself back from Xian-Pu was enough to crack the wardrobe, splintering the doors like they were rice paper. Ranma barely noticed as he continued to backpedal away from the now roused girl who just stared at him strangely.

Xian-Pu considered the weird behaviour of her Airen and felt the gradually decreasing warmth on her back. Putting those two with the position she woke up in and the dots started connecting in her mind. For now however she decided to play it innocent so as to not upset Ranma any further.

"What Ranma do on floor looking like he see cat?" Ranma was still inching away from the seemingly confused girl unill he met resistance in the form of her wall. A part of him actually considered turning around, smashing through the wall and making a break for it. His common sense overrode that desire as he had no wish to damage the Amazons' property further, not to mention it would look extremely suspicious in front of Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.

"Airen no sleep well?" As a matter of fact it had been one of the best sleeps Ranma could remember up there with the night before Genma and him had swam to China (his father had wanted him at full strength for the journey) and one night at the Tendo dojo when his father had forgot to set an alarm. Of course he wouldn't tell any of that to Xian-Pu but he realised he had to say something.

"It was... Okay." The nonchalant answer genuinely confused and irritated Xian-Pu, she imagined that after such a reaction this morning Ranma had to be feeling embarrassment, but perhaps she was wrong after all.

"That it? Just okay?" Ranma continued to stare at her, almost impassively.

"Well it was nice not to sleep on a futon I guess." Xian-Pu just through her hands up in the air and huffed.

"Sometimes Ranma, Xian-Pu just no understand you!" And with that she trudged out of the room, leaving Ranma to finally let out the long sigh he had been holding in. His stomach just happened to pick that moment to let out a loud groan. He too walked out of the small room, passed the bathroom where he heard the sound of a tap being turned on, followed by running water until he finally found his way downstairs.

"Why good morning future son-in-law." Oh great, the last person he really wanted to see right now, except maybe Akane. Just the thought of what might have happened to him if Akane found out about this was enough to send shivers down his spine.

As if her name was Beetlejuice The door of the Cat-cafe blew open, and in the now smoking frame stood one very angry Akane Tendo.

"RANMA!" There was no hiding from her here, she had him in her sights and he was no better than a deer caught in headlights as his resolve shattered and he awaited the inevitable punt, or mallet hit or maybe some new, inventive way for Akane to hurt him. He had closed his eyes so when the awaited blow never came he cracked one eye open to see what the holdup was.

Amazingly, blocking Akane's mallet just a few inches away from the underside of Ranma's chin was Ku-Lon's staff.

"Why hello Akane dear, what brings you here?"

"Out of the way Cologne, I'm going to give Ranma what he deserves!"

"Oh? And just what does he deserve this punishment for?" Ranma could barely believe what he was seeing; the old goat was actually defending him. Not that he needed protection his ego assured him but the gesture was just as powerful all the same. Akane even seemed to falter.

"Well, you know!"

"Why no dear, please enlighten me." It was that same condescending tone Ku-Lon always spoke with but for once Ranma wasn't on the receiving end and he was just now noticing the profound effect it really had on him. Unfortunately just when Akane seemed to be calming down in order to find an appropriate response the worst thing that could possibly happen, did.

"Great Grandmother, what all commotion about?" Xian-Pu had emerged from the stairs dressed in only a towel wrapped around her midsection, he Purple hair flowed wet and freely down her back as, even now, she continued to dry it with another towel.

"Aiyah, what angry girl here for!" This was all the evidence Akane needed, Ranma looking guilty, Ku-Lon protecting him and Xian-Pu half naked. Once again her hammer came about in a swing that would have sent Ranma through the roof of the cafe an once again it was halted before it reached its target. Akane was about to round on Ku-Lon for interrupting her yet again but all that came out was a whisper when she realised just who had stopped her blow.

"Ranma?" he had never tried to stop her before. All this time a small part of her knew that him, the better martial artist should have no problem blocking such reckless and uncoordinated blows, yet he never had. Akane had always attributed this to Ranma acknowledging he was in the wrong and accepting punishment. Ranma on the other hand decided he wasn't going to get anywhere with this if he couldn't even talk to Akane, especially if he was sent a few hundred feet from her.

"Akane, can we talk outside?" For some reason this startling turn of events had drained Akane dry of her overwhelming rage, so she just meekly nodded and allowed Ranma to lead her out of the house.

Once they were a good distance from the cafe Ranma grabbed her hand. Unsure of what the gesture meant, Akane was wary for anything Ranma might try to pull but instead the young martial artist simply composed himself.

"Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung are here."

"What? Those little brats from China that nearly killed us with that stupid Dance of Fire Dragon technique?"

"Yeah, those ones. They found out somehow that I have other fiancées other than Shampoo and decided to see for themselves, and if necessary, eliminate them." Akane seemed angered at his insinuation.

"Oh so what? I couldn't handle two ten year old girls, is that what you're saying?" Ranma merely sweat dropped at the accusation.

"They learned some new, really powerful technique while they were away, even the old Ghoul says it's impressive."

"Huh? New technique?"

"Suposed to be used to wipe out Mongolian hordes attacking the great wall of something like that." Akne paled at the prospect of going up against something that powerful. "So I told them I didn't have any other fiancées so they would go back to China."

"Y-you were trying to protect m-me?" Ranma happily sighed when he realised she finally understood. "So why didn't you come back last night?" Ranma seemed to grow his own frustration as he thought.

"The old Ghoul invited them to stay awhile and I have to keep up the pretence that Shampoo's my only fiancée or they'll come after you or maybe Ukyo." Akane grew red over the mention of the girl she had thrown out of her house and caused Ranma to become disappointed in her.

"Oh, well, I guess I understand."

"Now Akane why you always got to be like... wait what?"

"I said I understand, you were just trying to protect your friends." With that final comment she turned and began walking back in the direction of her house, leaving a confused Ranma scratching his head. When he finally returned to the Cat-cafe he found the four Amazonz all sitting around the table enjoying their breakfast.

"Ah son-in-law I see from your lack of injuries your little talk went well?"

"Um yeah, it did I guess." Ranma said it in total disbelief, perhaps he was just dreaming and soon that bucket of cold water would come and wash way all this confusion. But as the morning turned into afternoon and afternoon turned into evening no such luck came for the aspiring martial artist. Ranma was eventually roused from the trance-like state he had adopted all day by Ukyo lightly shaking his shoulder.

"Umm Ranma-honey, I just finished working for the day."

"Uh huh" Ukyo wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

"So now we can get to work fixing that little problem..."

"Uh huh" Ukyo grew agitated.

"Ranma are you even listening to me!"

"Uh h-" before he could finish a large metal spatula replaced the space in front of his face as it sent him into the wall of the cafe, leaving a nice Ranma-shaped indent after he peeled himself off. At least now he was fully aware.

"Hey! Whadidyadothatfor!"

"We need to figure out a way to beat the gambling king and get my restaurant back!"

"Oh, Oh yeah." With all the recent excitement Ranma had almost forgotten the reason Ukyo was at the Nekohanten in the first place.

"Well then come on, somebody has to help me practice." And with that she produced a pack of playing cards out of seemingly nowhere and expertly dealt them out to herself and Ranma. Seeing the display of skill Ranma grew a questioning look.

"Ukyo, you seem pretty good at this, why do you need my help?"

"Because I haven't practised in a while so I'm probably rusty." Ukyo showed Ranma exactly how 'rusty' she was for the next twenty minutes as she beat him at old maid over and over again. By the end of it Ranma was just about clinging onto the last vestige of dignity he had left, in the form of his undershorts.

"One more game Ranma honey?" Ranma new that if he lost once more there would be nothing to stop Ukyo from taking his yellow and blue shorts away, completely stripping him of any pride he had left. But his personality of never backing down from a challenge won out. However just as he was about to accept Ukyo's 'last game' Xian-Pu cut in from the doorway.

"Xian-Pu like to play instead of Ranma" normally Ranma's ego would never allowed someone to take his stead in a challenge but for once the small, rational part of his mind screamed at him to let this one slide, at least she had clothes to lose. So that was that and Xian-Pu sat down across from Ukyo, who once again, expertly dealt out the cards.

Ranma was amazed as he watched the display the two put up for the next hour and a half, for every game Xian-Pu lost she would win two others and slowly but surely she began winning back every article of clothing Ranma had managed to lose to the Okonomiyaki chef. Finally, and reluctantly, Ukyo handed over Ranma's iconic red shirt over to the happy Amazon before standing up wearily.

"Great, I can't even beet Shampoo, however am I going to beat the Gambling king?" On any other night Xian-Pu would have been fairly apathetic to her love-rival's plight but she was in such a good mood from all the winning, she actually opted to help the dejected girl.

"Xian-Pu could come and help Ukyo beat crazy card man if she want?" Ukyo was taken aback by the kind gesture.

"Well um, I guess it couldn't hurt, thanks Shampoo."

"Is no problem." Ranma was glad to see Xian-Pu so happy but he knew it couldn't just be because she had beaten Ukyo, there had to be something else going on.

"Well then, I guess we'll head over to my restaurant then."

"Okay, Xian-Pu meet you in five minutes, have to get ready." Ukyo gave a cautious smile before leaving the room, unsure herself over possible motives Xian-Pu might have.

"Hey, that was nice of ya Shampoo"

"Airen think so?"

"Yeah, it's good to see you and Ucchan getting along, one less worry for me" he said it with a smile but the almost predatory gaze that Xian-Pu fixed him with made his grin falter.

"Um Xian-Pu, can I have my clothes back now?" Xian-Pu giggled, Ranma did not like that sound one bit.

"Hmm, what Airen willing to do for clothes."

"Hey Shampoo, don't kid around like that."

"Xian-Pu no kid, like Xian-Pu say, what Airen willing to do for clothes?"

"Aww come on Shampoo I'll do anything just give them back." He regretted the words immediately.

"Aiyah! Then Ranma go on date with Xian-Pu!" he should have seen that one coming but he figured that one small, little date with Xian-Pu was better than having to walk around for the rest of the time the other two Amazons were here, half –naked.

"Um, Yeah, sure. You want to go now?"

"No silly Ranma, Xian-Pu decide later, have to help Ukyo now, but remember you promise so you have to go whenever Xian-Pu says, Okay?" Ranma grumbled at the prospect but swallowed his pride for the moment.

"Okay, so can I have my clothes back now?" Xian-Pu giggled again.

"Hmmm, Xian-Pu no think so, Xian-Pu wait until after we beat crazy card man, so Ranma just wait here until Xian-Pu get back." She turned to leave but Ranma grabbed her arm.

"Hey, we had a deal."

"Ranma no say when he get clothes back." He admitted he had left that minute little detail out of their arrangement.

"Please Shampoo." Xian-Pu knew she couldn't resist Ranma for much longer, her resolve was already weakening.

"Fine Ranma have back one piece of clothing now, rest when Xian-Pu get back." Ranma quickly and thankfully grabbed his trousers, pulling them on as hurriedly as he could manage. Before he could attempt to get back any more Xian-Pu ran out of the room, calling for Ukyo to go. Ranma had been about to make an attempt for another article of his clothing but seeing the fleeing girl he knew he wasn't going to catch her before she was out the door, and there was no way he was going outside dressed in only his trousers.

Instead he turned out of the room and made his way over to Xian-Pu's room "So she wants to play that game huh?"

* * *

Xian-Pu came back from the restaurant elated, not only had she and Ukyo managed to beat the Gambling king, Ukyo had been graceful enough to allow her the honour of booting him out the door. It had actually been extremely simple to beat the Gambling king; Xian-Pu had no idea why Ranma had found it so difficult in the past. His tells were obvious and his weak attempt at manipulating the girls to choose a specific card were pitiful.

All of this contributed to Xian-Pu skipping gleefully home, expectantly wondering what Ranma was up to in his vulnerable state. She greeted her Great Grandmother and informed her of the situation, who in turn informed her Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung had gone to bed. She then quietly crept upstairs so she would not wake the pair, not to mention she also wanted to see if she could surprise Ranma, who would no doubt be happy to see the Amazon who still possessed the majority of his clothing.

Unfortunately when she did open the door with all the grace and stealth of a ninjitsu master, she found her Airen, draped over her bed, still in his trousers, sound asleep. There were small balls of paper in bowl on the other side of the room; apparently Ranma had tried to pass the time with a game. Xian-Pu admirably noted not a single ball of paper was anywhere but inside the bowl.

Finally focused on Ranma once again she silently removed her clothes and snuck into the bed next to him where, in his suggestive sleepy state he instinctively wrapped his arm around the new source of warmth. Certainly he would be even more surprised next morning that last but to Xian-Pu, curled up in Ranma's strong, almost protective embrace it was completely worth it.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I... Want...my... boilerplateboilerplateboiler plateboilerplateboilerplateb oilerplate I want my...

* * *

With it being the start of the week the next couple of days took on a remotely cyclical nature. Xian-Pu would awake first, firstly to grab the bathroom quickly, and secondly not to give Ranma the shock he had on his first morning. He would go to school where he would sit in his normal half-interested state until lunch where Xian-Pu would join him on her own lunch break. They would talk for a little while with Xian-Pu making sure to give her complimentary glomp.

He would then go back to lessons while she would return to her deliveries, all the while both thought of when they could be free of their respective responsibilities. Then Ranma would finally come back to the Cafe where he would spend a lot of his free time keeping Ukyo and the two younger Amazons from having any extended interaction, which was Xian-Pu's job during the day. Then the five of them would sit and enjoy dinner with Xian-Pu excitedly weaselling any and all information about her home from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.

Finally the two teenagers would spar with one another in order to keep their skills sharp before collapsing exhausted into bed, where Ranma had finally convinced Xian-Pu to retain her clothing, or so he thought. Then the cycle would repeat again. This happened for five days straight until finally something came around to break the monotony, the weekend.

"Finally, I swear that was one of the longest weeks in my life! I just don't understand how one man can drone on for two hours about poetry, it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." He was walking back to school with Xian-Pu slowly pedalling along on her bike, having finished her last delivery of the day.

"Xian-Pu no know what Ranma mean. Poetry romantic" She said it with a dreamy quality that made Ranma stick his tongue out in a mocking gesture. He earned a playful slap on the side for it but he just found himself laughing gently.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even go to school, I mean I want to be a martial artist anyway and really, it's taking valuable time I could be training or learning some new move, or even time I could be travelling."

"So why Ranma go?" Ranma's answer came naturally as he had asked the question of his father so often the answer became ingrained in his mind like a reflex.

"Cause Pop says that it's good to have back up skills in case martial arts don't work out or I change my mind, or when I'm too old to do it." Xian-Pu skidded to a halt, in deep thought for a fraction of a second.

"That stupid, Ranma is best martial artist Xian-Pu know, except Great Grandmother and old Pervert Man. Does Ranma ever want to stop Martial arts?" The answer was even more instinctual that the last.

"Of course not."

"And age thing stupid, Great Grandmother and Pervert man example of that." Ranma also halted in his tracks.

"Hey, yeah you're right"

"So Ranma quit school then?"

"Well I dunno Shampoo, you have a lot of good points but for how much I complain about it I'm just sorta used to it to be honest."

"But if Ranma quit he have more free time, also if Airen no quit school how he supposed to keep word?"

"Huh? My word?"

"When Airen say he help Xian-Pu at Nekohanten." Ranma had completely forgotten about the promise he had made to Ukyo and Xian-Pu.

"Oh yeah, with school and all I guess I wouldn't have time to do that huh?" He guessed with Ukyo having only really stayed for a day before she got her restaurant back the workload was just as fierce as it had been on the day he'd made the promise, sure enough he had noticed Xian-Pu slowing down over the last few days, even now there were slight bags under her eyes, marring her usual perfect complexion.

"I'm sorry Shampoo" her heart fell a little with those words however she was just too tired to notice his mouth curl up just a little at the corners when he said it. "I guess the evidence is just too stacked up on one side. I'm gonna have to quit school to uphold my promise, I have to maintain my honour."

"Aiyah! Airen too too good to Xian-Pu" She latched onto him in a mighty glomp but upon seeing his discomfort and definite reddening across the bridge of his nose she released him slightly but still maintained a light hug before releasing him completely. She had noticed recently that Ranma had become less and less objectionable to her hugging, to the point where he had visibly stopped telling her to release him. In return she made sure to not latch on too long or release if she felt him becoming uncomfortable.

"Well I guess there's no putting it off, I'd better go tell pop."

"Why Ranma always answer to Panda-man after everything he do to Ranma, like Neko-ken and Jusenkyo curse."

"Hey now, I now the old man can be a bit stupid sometimes and he doesn't think everything through, but I know he always has my best interests at heart."

"What about fiancées?" The fact that she put emphasis on the last 's' made it very clear to Ranma what she was talking about.

"Okay he has his faults but who doesn't?" Xian-Pu had expected that answer.

"Airen no have faults, at least that his fault" Ranma once again grew embarrassed at the praise but was internally grateful for the ego boost. The two had turned in the direction of the Tendo household and as they had talked they found themselves at the front gate. Xian-Pu dumped her bike unceremoniously on the wall and quickly followed Ranma as he hopped the perimeter wall into the garden.

They quickly found Soun and Genma in their usual spot overlooking the Koi pond playing Shogi, they arrived just in time for Genma to distract sound and switch some of the pieces around to favour him better. It was when Soun turned back around to berate Genma for lying to him when he saw the two teens watching them.

"Ah Ranma, Shampoo it's good to see you after so long." Genma also turned around, upon which Soun quickly swapped the pieces that had been changed back to their original places, while moving a few of his own to more advantageous positions.

"Ranma my boy, you've been gone for so long! I hope you've continued your training." As if to check he immediately lunged at Ranma with surprising speed for a man of his build, to which Ranma calmly sidestepped before grabbing Genma by his Gi and throwing him roughly into the pond. Some of the things Xian-Pu had said about the old man must still have been circling his mind as when the Panda emerged from the pong he was rubbing his head, holding up a sign that read

*You didn't have to throw me so hard boy!*

Kasumi came out at the sound of the brief scuffle.

"Oh my, I'll get the kettle on for you Mr Saotome."

*Much appreciated Kasumi*

Soun motioned that the four should take the conversation inside so the two teenagers and the soaked Panda walked into the living room. Kasumi quickly returned with a steaming kettle which Genma gratefully poured all over his form until he was back to human.

"Ah that's better. Well what brings you over here my boy, as we understood it from Akane you were staying away from here while those two Amazon brats were still in Japan?" Xian-Pu shot him a scathing look for the comment which Genma wilted under.

"Actually Pop I just came here to tell you I'm dropping out of school."

"What?! Boy haven't we had this talk countless times before?" Genma started off with.

"Yeah, but now I've had proper time to think about it and I realised all your arguments were wrong." Ranma then proceeded to explain each counter argument in much the same way Xian-Pu had done to him until finally Genma was at a loss for words. At this small hesitation in Genma's prepared speech on the matter Ranma punched his fist in the air.

"Yes! I knew it. No more dumb, boring school!" At a loss for what to say to Ranma Genma instead turned on Xian-Pu who before now had remained completely silent.

"You, I'm sure you had something to do with this!"

"He Pop, don't try and rope Xian-Pu into this, she had nothing to do with it." The vehemence with which Ranma defended the girl was enough to give Genma pause. Xian-Pu wasn't happy at being left out of the credit but she had to admit it wouldn't have helped Ranma's argument if she admitted to having convinced him to go through with it.

"Well son, it seems you really have thought about this, I guess there's nothing really stopping you from leaving school after all."

"Oh come on Pop you- Wait. Did you just say it was okay?"

"Yes and boy, I'm proud you're making your own decisions, your starting to turn out like a real man!" Ranma laughed nervously but luckily Genma didn't pick up on it. "Well you better get going boy before those Amazon br- girls find out you were here."

"Um Thanks Pop" With nothing else needing to be said Ranma and Xian-Pu left the house and The two older men went back to their board game. A few seconds later Akane came barrelling down the stairs.

"Dad, Kasumi told me Ranma was here?"

"Just left dear" She immediately ran out the door, hell bent on catching up to the elusive boy. Pretty soon she caught up to them, surprising them with her out of breath state.

"What Akane want?" Ranma was surprised by the lack of adjective to address Akane but he guessed she hadn't really done anything to annoy her, yet. Akane was equally surprised but she wasn't deterred.

"Ranma, I haven't really seen you lately so I just wanted to thank you."

"Um thank me?"

"Yeah, for protecting me." Then she did something that Ranma would never expect to be possible, Akane hugged Ranma. It was so spontaneous it was almost Xian-Pu-esque and as soon as it happened it was over and Akane was walking back in the direction she came. It was Xian-Pu's turn to be surprised, making an even three.

"What that about?"

"Yes I think-" "-We like to know as well" Ranma dreaded those voices as soon as he heard them, and turned slowly, a small part of him hoping he was hearing things. Unfortunately he was in no such luck as his gaze fell on a very irate pair of Amazons, each brandishing their respective weapons.

"Hey Lin-Lin, Lun-Lun" He tried his best not to gulp when he said their names, the thought of what they might do at the slightest hint of guilt fresh in his mind.

"What that girl do-" "-hugging Ranma like that?" Ranma's brain had already been racing trying to think of something to say to that exact question.

"What Akane? She's just some crazy girl who has this weird idea that she's my fiancée, she follows me around a lot jumping on me and hugging me and stuff, it's really annoying actually." He shot an apologetic look toward Xian-Pu even as he was finishing the sentence so she wouldn't take it the wrong way. She seemed to understand at least.

"Ranma tell truth, She just annoyance more than serious relationship, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung no need to worry". The girls had initially been suspicious at Ranma's hasty answer but upon hearing the confirmation from Xian-Pu they immediately lowered their guard.

"That too too good to hear big sister Xian-Pu-" "-we know you no lie to us!" Both Ranma and Xian-Pu let out an inaudible sigh of relief, even if the latter was tinged with a bit of guilt. "Oh Ranma, Elder Ku-Lon want to talk to you-" "-She say it very important." And with that the two took off in a random direction, no doubt still looking for a worthy opponent to challenge.

Ranma had been told this had been one of their main goals after coming to Japan the first time however he had heard a few admittedly amusing tales of these attempted 'challenges'. First the girls had gone after Kodachi after seeing her practising in the Kuno estate; they had nearly been fed to the family's pet crocodile and had come back that day looking very green.

The next day they set their sights on a male opponent as they believed the mantra of their own village to be in effect all over the world in that woman were naturally stronger. Luckily the one they had come across was the second Kuno sibling. Ranma was worried that day that had it been maybe Ryoga or Mikado then someone would be walking way with two very persistent fiancées. As it happened Kuno lived up to his title of punching bag of Nerima and there was nothing to worry about.

The final fight of the week for the two was with a teacher from the school Ranma had never heard of. He never did get the exact details of that fight but when the Girls came back to the Cat-cafe that night they looked peculiarly drained while there was barely a mark on them. All in all it had been a fairly disappointing week for two girls and by now they were actually looking forward to going back to their lives in China, despite having the best of intentions for Xian-Pu.

Not long after the girls had departed Ranma and Xian-Pu continued walking but t a brisker pace, the urgency in Ling-Lings voice, while not desperate, was pressing none-the-less so they made it to the Cafe in good time.

"Ah welcome back Son-in-law, Xian-Pu." Ranma just looked on expectantly whilst Ku-Lon merely did the same until Ranma had to break the tense silence.

"Well?"

"Well what Ranma?"

"What's with the urgent summons you old Ghoul?" Ranma shouted out in joy when he blocked the expected bash to his head, only for him to get an equally painful thump in the stomach in return.

"There was no urgency, I'm sorry if it appeared that way, I merely wished to speak with you, you too if you want Great Granddaughter." Xian-Pu just nodded while she looked concerned at Ranma's hunched over form. "You know you need another hundred years before you're on par with me son-in-law. Now if you would follow me outside."

The two teens did so, one with more ease than the other, still clutching his stomach from the blow. Ku-Lon led them outside at a leisurely pace, not even hopping on her staff to allow Ranma time to recover. Eventually he did so to see Ku-Lon standing next to a large boulder which Ranma was positive had not been there this morning.

The elderly woman made sure Ranma was watching before calmly walking up to the boulder and placing a single wrinkled finger on its side. Immediately the massive granite boulder splintered as if a bomb had been placed inside it, no individual fragment was bigger than a tennis ball which left the once stoic mound of rock looking like a hastily thrown together gravel pathway. Despite the impressive display that would have had most looking on in awe Ranma continued to watch unimpressed.

"Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu, big whoop."

"Ah good you recognise it son-in-law."

"Yeah, how could I not, I have to defend against the damn thing every other day." He said it sarcastically but inside he actually pondered on the fact he hadn't been challenged by Ryoga for about a week now, which was strangely irregular for the lost boy.

"Well boy, have you never had the desire to learn the technique?" At the mere mention of learning a new technique Ranma was brought out from his thoughts and a gleam that Xian-Pu new all too well sparkled in his eyes. He quickly suppressed this outward display of interest but his mediocre skills as an actor betrayed him as his attempt to sound disinterested failed miserably.

"Maybe, what's the catch?" Some of the old suspicion had returned to his question.

"No catch sonny boy, consider it a gift for all the work you'll be putting in at the cafe soon."

"Hey how'd you-"

"Like I said son-in-law, a hundred years too early."

"Whatever, are you gonna teach me or not." A look of mild amusement, twinged with irritation passed over Ku-Lon's features so quickly only one trained to read body language like a martial artist could notice it.

"It's not quite as simple as that boy, there is a great deal of focus and discipline involved with the breaking point technique, not to mention the rigorous days or weeks of training. To look at an object and see its most vulnerable point in your mind's eye, using only you natural Ki energy to guide you is no mere trifling trick."

Ranma noticed for the first time a second boulder in the garden, this one off to one side. He walked up to it and once again amusement crossed Ku-Lon's face as she wondered if the boy was actually going to attempt what she thought he was. Ranma considered the boulder for a moment, looking for all the world, immovable and impenetrable.

"Mind's eye eh?" Looking like someone playing pin the tail on the donkey Ranma closed his eyes with his finger held out directly in front of him. He held this position for a few seconds as Ku-Lon's amusement changed to intrigue before calmly, as if he were merely pointing out something, pressing his finger down on a single, otherwise insignificant spot on the massive stone's form.

The result was immediate, just like before the boulder imploded in on itself as the flaw in it's very being was pressed, sending a chain reaction through the granite as it crumbled into a fine gravel, exactly as it's brother had done not a few minutes ago. Ranma just stood in the dust that rose from the shattered rock, a cocky grin adorning his face as the shocked Ku-Lon and her Great granddaughter looked on.

When he passed the two, still frozen in disbelief he merely uttered

"Nice trick" before moving past them, intent on getting something to eat.

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**Author's note: Finally got a beta reader so shout out to brown phantom for his help with this chapter**


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I wonder if anyone would notice if I stopped writing these messages...hmm.

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Xian-Pu slowly approached her room, peeking around the door she spotted Ranma writing something in a notebook on the small desk she owned for the studies her Grandmother gave her. As an Amazon she knew that a lot of techniques were preserved through scrolls and a few of them required deciphering. Ku-Lon used to do it for her but as of late she had decided that the meaning behind the scrolls words would be better understood if it was Xian-Pu figuring it out for herself. A lot of the time it was merely frustrating and the teen would find herself twirling a pencil in her hand, her mind lost on other things.

She tried to get a look at what it was Ranma was jotting down but he noticed her entering and immediately closed the pad. She would have pressed him on what he was doing but there were more important matters on her mind, mainly the impossible display Ranma had put on outside.

"Hey Shampoo, what's- Hey why are you looking at me like that?" She would have asked him about it had two excited, colourful blurs beaten her to the chase. Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung barrelled into the room, barely containing their awe and fascination.

"Ranma is it true-" "-that you learn Bakusai Tenketsu in one go!" Xian-Pu was also eager to hear Ranma's answer, not that she already didn't know, but she was enraptured nonetheless. Ranma for his part merely gave the three Amazons his usual cocky grin that simultaneously irritated Xian-Pu and made her nearly swoon.

"Well, I can't take all the credit; I had a lot of help from Ryoga." Xian-Pu was shocked, she would have never guessed at Ranma taking training advice from his self-proclaimed rival.

"Ryoga teach Ranma his move?" She received two annoyed glares from her 'sisters' that quite clearly told her to shut up and let Ranma finish.

"Not exactly, I'm not really sure about it myself. Pop says I got something called an eidetic memory or something like that, it means I remember almost everything that happens to me, including my training and fights. Basically if I see a move enough times I just naturally pick it up. I've seen the breaking point so many times I wasn't really surprised I could do it, all I needed was the understanding of how it worked."

Xian-Pu wasn't exactly satisfied with the answer.

"If Ranma have so so good memory then why he no do well in school?" Ranma chuckled.

"Like I said, I need to have actually experienced something to remember it. I'm so bored half the time at school I either fall asleep or just stop paying attention at all." It was Xian-Pu's turn to laugh.

"Ranma could be genius boy if he want." Ranma scoffed outright at the statement.

"And be a nerd like Gosunkugi? As if." Xian-Pu didn't quite get the reference to the voodoo-obsessed zombie of a boy but she understood the underlying meaning in the words. She had to admire Ranma's absolute dedication to the art when much simpler and easier avenues were open to him with his gift. Some people might have called it squandering a talent but Xian-Pu knew Ranma was merely using it where he felt it was most important to him.

While she had been thinking the two younger Amazons had lost interest, upon hearing it was nothing more than Ranma's ability to pick up techniques quickly and not some special secret they had retired from the room, much more reservedly than their entrance.

"So Ranma think he can learn any technique that quickly?" He looked warily at her, unsure of what she was thinking.

"I guess so. If I saw it."

"Even Xian-Pu's techniques with Chúi?"

"Um I've never really liked using weapons that much but yeah, once I got used to it, it would be like any other kata." Xian-Pu finally drew the line, she had spent a good portion of her life perfecting her mastery of the Chúi and here Ranma was, saying he could do the same in no time at all.

"Xian-Pu no believe Airen, prove it." She threw him one of her nearby weapons off the rack which Ranma deftly caught without problem, despite its large size and unusual balance, this alone might have been enough to impress Xian-Pu if she didn't already know the young martial artist before her.

"Hey Shampoo, there isn't exactly a lot of room in here, especially not to swing one of these around." Xian-Pu only responded by throwing him her second Chúi, which he once again caught without difficulty, his third impressive feat of the day.

"Not one, two, and outside." She stood up and Ranma followed her out of the cafe through the back door. Ku-Lon emerged from the kitchen, her curiosity piqued at seeing her son-in-law trailing Xian-Pu holding her weapons and, ever the martial artist, experimentally swinging them to ascertain their balance and what he would have to do to compensate for their weight.

Once the two were outside Xian-Pu took the weapons from Ranma's hands and immediately dived into her most complicated kata that wouldn't require her to vigorously warm up. Her strokes with the usually clumsy weapons were precise and held all the elegance one might expect when visiting a professional ballet performance. Not that Ranma knew this of course, never having indulged in such unmanly things, but he found the performance beautiful all the same, even as he critically observed the entire performance his mind was working on corrections he would have to make in the movements to compensate for his added height and build.

Xian-Pu finally stopped after five minutes, wiped a single bead of sweat from her brow and handed the colourful weapons back over to Ranma, confident there was no way he would be able to replicate, or even come close to the complicated procedure in one go. Ranma refused the weapon with a shake of his head.

"One more time, I need to see it from a different angle; I couldn't see some of your footings." Disgruntled at the confidence in his voice Xian-Pu complied anyway, retracting her hands and once again flowing into the complicated technique that had taken her an entire life's work to master. This time, instead of passively watching the graceful, yet powerful movements Ranma slowly stalked around the Amazon, wary of the vicious jabs that the technique entailed and moving back accordingly.

When she finally came to a stop she had more than a single bead of sweat running across her forehead and she was regretting not warming up after all. This made her more thankful when Ranma accepted her offer of the weapons, gladly handing them over. She had been expecting a calm, collected walk into the middle of the garden in order for Ranma to begin, as one might when first learning a kata Ranma surprised her by launching into it much the same way she had done minutes beforehand.

The next few minutes finally laid to rest her suspicions over Ranma's eidetic claim as the boy, with all the grace and composure of a true Amazon warrior, flawlessly flowed through stage after stage of the masterful movements. By the end of it Xian-Pu's jaw was barely clinging to her face she was in such disbelief. She didn't know it but Ku-Lon was in a similar state of impressed shock and begrudging respect in the shadows behind her.

Xian-Pu merely didn't know what to say as Ranma finally completed the final movements, to a calm and collected stop, where he looked at her with a sheepish grin that couldn't mask his pride even if he had wanted it too. She had been about to berate him, admittedly just out of jealousy, when he said something that made her heart flutter.

"Wow Shampoo, if these are the kinds of moves you're able to pull off maybe we should spar sometime. You'd definitely give me more of a run for my money than Pop ever could." She was still a little shocked and just nodded enthusiastically. "Great, well how about now? We still have a few hours before the sun goes down."

While Ranma had been a bit overzealous in his estimation of how much time they had they certainly spent the next hour and a half immensely enjoying the feel of sparring with an opponent much on the same skill level as her own. Despite knowing Ranma outclassed her, and probably always would, she still loved the feeling of sparring with her Airen. She felt that with every parried blow or delivered kick she saw a little bit more of him and the thought excited her to no end,, even to the point of distracting her allowing Ranma the chance to land a light blow o her side that, in a real fight, would have been catastrophic.

When the sun finally did set, ending their energetic session, the two retired onto the roof of the cafe, which brought back memories for Ranma of his time spent on the Tendo's roof. He really did his best thinking up there, looking at the slightly obscured sky as starlight mingled with the effervescent glow of Tokyo.

The two teens were so exhausted from their mock fight they were happy to just lie back on the roof and admire the view, each lost in their own respective thoughts. Eventually Xian-Pu sat up, quiet contemplation had never really been her thing, she was far too active for that. She instead scanned the skyline of Tokyo, really taking in the city, much like she had done on her very first night in the vibrant city.

Many of her memories of back then she wasn't fond of due to the nature of her visit, namely to kill Ranma but when the sun had dipped on that first day of failed searching and the night was washed with the light of a million bulbs and signs she was captivated. It truly was the most beautiful places she had ever been in her life. The fact it was nigh impossible to navigate thanks to her limited abilities in Japanese and the complicated and alien nature of a city had been forgotten in those first few moments.

Once again, sat on this non-descript rooftop with her Airen so close she found those same initial feelings creep up on her until she was startled out of her fascination by the boy in question's voice.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She looked over to see Ranma, equally enthralled by the city of pure light panoramically displayed before them.

"Yes, Xian-Pu just thinking that." For a moment the boy's brow furrowed as he seemed to stare at one spot in particular with peculiar intensity. Xian-Pu followed his gaze to a cluster of lights that were not only more packed together than their surroundings but a fair few of them were moving in looping, rhythmic patterns.

"Huh, looks like a carnival." Xian-Pu's eyes widened at the word, she had heard of such places but had never had the chance, even in her year of living in Tokyo, to visit one. She was actually about to ask Ranma to take her when he beat her to it, right out of the blue.

"Hey Shampoo, I still owe you that date right? I know you said you would choose when it would be but do you want to-"

"Xian-Pu love it if Ranma take her to fair." He smiled at her warmly, making Xian-Pu wonder just how much Ranma had surprised her today, in so many startling ways. Maybe she could have accepted the ability to learn techniques and his quick mastery of one of her most complicated kata's but to ask her out on a date, completely of his own free will, without any encouragement? She knew one thing for certain, if she woke up in her bed now a certain unlucky pillow would have a very bad day.

As it was, she wasn't dreaming, a fact that fate cruelly decided to make sure she was aware of as she dropped down from the roof after Ranma. One of the splinters of rock had flown outwards when Ku-Lon had used the breaking point and it was this one piece of rock that Xian-Pu landed on as she fell, twisting her ankle at a horrible angle, causing her to cry out with pain and nearly crash to the ground had Ranma not been there to catch her.

"Shampoo! Are you okay" She didn't have time to be touched by his concern as she tried to apply pressure to her foot only for pain to shoot through her entire leg. She cried out in pain again, a few tears escaping the corners of her eyes.

"I'll take you to Dr Tofu's." She managed just barely to shake her head, causing him to pause before muttering in his ear.

"No, Great Grandmother." He looked embarrassed for a moment before rushing back into the cafe calling out Ku-Lon's name the entire time. Roused by the urgent call the elderly woman quickly appeared by their side, hurriedly taking in the situation before closely examining Xian-Pu's leg. She let out a sigh of relief after a few seconds, which did nothing to calm Ranma's nerves.

"It's okay son-in-law, she has merely twisted her ankle, a few days off that foot and she'll be as good as new." As if to illustrate the point she ever so slowly moved the offending joint until it was stretched out, eliciting no cry from Xian-Pu as she did so. Whether or not that was from lack of pain of the young warrior's pride remained to be seen.

"I'll go get some ice, Xian-Pu, don't try and stand on that foot." Xian-Pu was anything but calm, she might as well have been distraught but she was doing her hardest not to show it in front of Ranma. The one time he had actually offered to go on a date with her, even if he did owe it, and she had managed to mess it up by hurting herself.

"Xian-Pu sorry Ranma." Ranma just stared at her, uncomprehending. "Xian-Pu ruin date, now no can go." Ranma continued his bemused look before breaking out in gentle laugh.

"What, you think you can get out of it that easily? Oh no you don't, you heard the old Ghoul, you just can't put pressure on that foot. We're still going on that date." Xian-Pu felt like mentally berating herself for not expecting this from the very different Ranma that had emerged this evening but was too busy crying out of joy, a reaction Ranma had not been expecting, as he assumed that the tears were of sadness.

"Oh no, sorry! Did I say something wrong, we don't have to go on the date if you don't want, please don't cry!" Xian-Pu lightly slapped his nearest arm.

"Xian-Pu no cry for sadness, she cry because Ranma make her happy." The teenager wasn't sure what to make of that but he heard the words happy so he lightened up a bit. Now the atmosphere in the room had finally settled Xian-Pu began her own examination only to cry out in anguish and annoyance.

"Aiyah!" Once again Ranma was the attentive and concerned friend.

"What? What is it?" She looked at him hopelessly.

"Xian-Pu can no go on date wearing training clothes and soaked in sweat!" Upon hearing this Ranma visibly relaxed, glad it wasn't something more serious.

"Yeah, now you mention it I guess we do both smell a bit. But how are you going to bathe with that ankle and all?"

"Xian-Pu need help getting in bath"

"Oh, I'll call the girls" Ku-Lon picked this minute to hop back into the room carrying an ice pack for Xian-Pu's ankle which she gratefully accepted and applied allowing a sigh of relief to flow from her lips. "I'm afraid that's not an option Son-in-Law, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung left a while ago looking for a fight and with no way to contact them, you'll have to be the one to help Xian-Pu."

"What?! Why can't you do it?" He knew that the question was stupid as soon as he finished saying it, his ability to not think through his words coming to light once again. There was no way that Ku-Lon, in her aged state could successfully aid Xian-Pu in getting in and out of the bath. As if agreeing with Ranma's though process Ku-Lon knocked him on the head.

"Don't be absurd boy and just get it over with." With a good deal of grumbling and a few happy smiles from Xian-Pu Ranma relented and picked her up to carry her to the bath. It proved no problem for the agile martial artist to maneuver up the stairs, the real issue came when it was time for Xian-P to undress, there was no way she could stand long enough to successfully remove her shirt.

In a stroke of luck he was saved by the bell as the two younger Amazon's finally came home and after detailing what had happened he relegated the job of caring for Xian-Pu as she washed to them. They were more than happy to comply, so whilst they aided her in the bathroom Ranma picked out what he was going to wear that night, like a lot of his decisions it didn't take long and he rely had no interest but it was a way to pass time until the bath was free.

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After his own bath he quickly dried his hair, making sure not to shake loose his pigtail knot as he rubbed the towel over his hair. Finally he pulled on the formal Chinese shirt he had never worn before, and some plain black trousers. The shirt itself was not dissimilar from his usual red shirt except it had a finely embroidered black dragon that started at his hip and wrapped around his back before coming to a rest with its head on his chest.

He waited downstairs for Xian-Pu to finish getting ready, luckily despite the twisted ankle he was only waiting for ten minutes before she limped down the stairs, assisted on one side by Ling-Ling and on the other by Lung-Lung. Ranma was actually blown away by the result that twenty minutes of preparation could make.

Xian-Pu emerged down the steps wearing a beautiful golden dress that hugged her form in all the right places but stopped at her mid thigh to allow her movement should he need arise. There was a small diamond window cut into the dress which showed off generous cleavage whilst leaving enough to the imagination, it was sleeveless but she wore various bracelets that complimented the dress. Her hair was styled in much the same way it usually was but impeccably combed and instead of the normal hair baubles she had ornate jade ornaments that looked like heirlooms.

It appeared that Xian-Pu had taken Ranma calling this a date very seriously. Whilst he couldn't complain at her appearance all he could do was gulp.

"That pretty much reaction Xian-Pu look for." She grinned cheerfully. The she did the worst thing imaginable and took a step forward, immediately crumpling under the pain of her ankle; however Ranma was there like a bolt of lightning to catch her.

"There's no way I'm letting you walk on that ankle." Curious as to his intentions Xian-Pu just watched, fascinated as he swung her up onto his back, so he was effectively giving her a piggy-back ride.

"Alright. Now we can go." Contrary to many adult's line at teenagers going out for the night Ku-Lon simply called out.

"Stay out as long as you like."

And so the odd pair set off, Ranma immediately took to the rooftops, despite Xian-Pu's demonstration of what could go wrong with that however this allowed the two to make it to the carnival in good time. They were not disappointed.

After paying the meagre entrance fee the two were excitedly hopping from stall to stall, admiring the various and plentiful displays, games and shows on offer at the night-time extravaganza. Well to be honest Xian-Pu didn't have much of a choice at where they went but occasionally she would point in the direction of a stall she wanted to get a better look at or praise Ranma when he easily defeated the blatantly rigged games. He won so many stuffed animals that they actually stated handing them out to whichever little kid happened to chance by.

Xian-Pu did hold onto a little plush cat that they both agreed bore a remarkable resemblance to Xian-Pu's cursed form, much to the chagrin of Ranma who would wince every time he accidently spotted it in Xian-Pu's hand. Eventually, despite the immense fun the couple were having they stopped for something to eat, namely cotton candy which a vendor was selling nearby.

They both sat on a nearby bench which was empty before Ranma tucked into his fluffy snack, managing to down it in record time. Xian-Pu however, had never eaten the sugary wool-like substance and upon trying to eat it, managed to get it all over her mouth and nose, causing Ranma to erupt into laughter.

They attended many shows of various themes, some magical, others purely comedic, even one that had a few supposedly cursed tapestries on display, which Ranma never believed for a second. All throughout the night Ranma had been receiving highly envious glares from male passersby as they took notice of the gorgeous girl riding on his back, obviously having the time of her life but he ignored them because he too was having more fun than he had had in a great deal of time.

Unfortunately the gods had a permanent bulls-eye painted on Ranma's back so the pair's night of fun just couldn't last. Their particular retribution took the form of a particular blue-haired girl who stared furiously as Ranma and Xian-Pu continued to enjoy themselves, completely ignorant of the verbal lashing Akane was preparing in her mind. Ranma would awake a few minutes later, unsure why the last thing he remembered was someone screaming his name in bloodcurdling fury.

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**Author's Note: Come on guys, press that button, I just know you want to. Those few words and that little click... its what fuels writers, flames, praise, criticism, pointers doesn't matter just write something. *pwitty pweeeeease***


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi.

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Before Ranma's instincts could even tell him something was wrong Akane had smacked him across the face with enough force to send him flying a short distance through the air to crash through a currently closed stall and come to an unconscious but still painful stop in the ground. Instead of Akane's personal hammer she had instead opted to use a nearby mallet used in a bell-ring strength test.

Unfortunately for Xian-Pu, Ranma's impromptu flight across the Carnival left her in the position of being dumped onto the floor, straight onto her ankle.

"AIYAH!" She cried out from the pain, nursing the injury with her hands, but refusing to show any tears in front of Akane, who she only held fury for right now. It was hard to talk through the pain but through gritted teeth she managed to get out a scathing remark.

"Why hurt Ranma and Xian-Pu?!" Akane for her part was highly surprised by Xian-Pu's exaggerated performance, and at first she had thought the Chinese girl was faking.

"What are you talking about? I didn't even touch you, only the pervert over there!"

"Aiyah stupid girl really that stupid? Ranma carry Xian-Pu because she have sprained ankle! Anyway why stupid Akane care, you always say you hate Airen so why violent girl jealous?" Akane was taken back by the news and the question.

"Hey I'm not jealous you dumb bimbo! I'm his fiancée so I have that right."

"Violent girl no Ranma's fiancée!" Immediately Xian-Pu covered up her mouth with her hands, realising she said too much. Akane barely seemed to notice so Xian-Pu, more hesitantly, continued. "So why violent girl hurt Ranma?!" She had no good answer for that one, especially for the girl in front of her, so instead she huffed decisively and began to storm off, but not before Xian-Pu was finished.

"Xian-Pu knew violent girl was just sadist." Xian-Pu couldn't see from her position on the ground but when Akane stopped mid-step her eye was twitching furiously from rage. She turned very slowly, staring daggers at the injured Amazon.

"I've had enough of you Xian-Pu, always interfering, scheming and tricking Ranma into situations where nobody benefits. Hell this whole 'date' was probably induced by some kind of magic herb or enchanted item, but right now I don't really care. I just want you to go away!" She screamed the very last word, causing a lot of the carnival patrons to stare at the arguing pair before hurrying far away from the brewing atmosphere. Xian-Pu just continued to stare back, defiant as ever.

"So violent girl challenge Xian-Pu?" Akane was at such a point of blind rage she barely thought before the words came out like an instinctual reaction.

"Yes, one week, the Park, unlike you I'm gracious enough to let you recover from whatever injury you're probably faking." With those last indignant words Akane turned once more and stormed off, parting the crowd that had gathered around with one ice-shattering glance. Xian-Pu had lost interest in the retreating girl; she would get hers soon enough, right now her primary concern was her still-unconscious Airen, whom she could see laying ten or so meters away.

Painfully and slowly she crawled over to his limp body, very much annoyed at how her dress was being smeared with dirt as she did so. Eventually she managed to get into a position where she could shake the sleeping boy, when that didn't work she applied one of the pressure points her Great-grandmother had taught her.

She may have pressed too hard however as Ranma shot straight from the ground to his feet, stunned shock written all over his face. Realising he had been on the ground he moved quickly into a defensive fighting stance, scanning the still rather large crowd that had gathered, scaring quite a few people off. When he realised there was no immediate danger he looked around his more immediate surroundings, where he noticed Xian-Pu, limp on the floor as he had been, having finally succumbed to the immense pain of her fall.

He gently picked her up, uncaring as of now why only a few moments ago he had been in the same state that she was currently in. He let slip a tiny smile as Xian-Pu snuggled unconsciously into the warmth his chest provided before settling in a position. He decided that there was nothing more the two could do tonight and slowly walked back in the direction of the cafe, this time not even bothering to take the rooftops.

The crowd parted once more to allow the two teenagers through, some even offering assistance after seeing the strange girl attack the now conscious boy and threaten the injured girl. However Ranma refused every offer and continued walking, away from the noise and lights and people until it was just the two of them, walking alone in the darkened streets of Nerima.

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When they arrived back, both looking like they had taken a swim in a mud bath, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung made an impressive display of fawning over Xian-Pu's unconscious form before Ku-Lon dismissed both of them to make sure Xian-Pu's injury had not gotten worse. When asked what had happened Ranma had nothing to tell her, only that he had been knocked out and had woken to find Xian-Pu like this. They both agreed not to wake the sleeping girl just now and let her body and mind recuperate they would find out from her what happened in the morning.

Ranma carried Xian-Pu upstairs for the second time that night and into her room where he stripped out of his muddy clothes into some clean undershorts. He also took of Xian-Pu's dress, something she might have been more excited about when consciousness, he was just thankful she was wearing underwear tonight. He placed her gently on the bed and crawled in next to her, knowing that Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.

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She woke up refreshed and renewed, as if she had been asleep for days. It was made even more wonderful by the blissful face of her Airen lying a few centimetres from her own. She always seemed to find him like this, facing her. His moody seemed to naturally orient itself to the warmth her own body radiated during the night. Whilst she could have certainly done without the morning breath she certainly wasn't complaining.

As per usual in the morning she reluctantly swung herself around on the bed until her feet were dangling over the side. However before she could jump to her feet and move on to the next part of her morning routine, Ranma quickly wrapped around her waist. She was startled and joyful for the display of affection but confused at its abruptness until Ranma wearily explained.

"Don't put pressure on your foot remember." And she did, the previous days event's flooded back to her with the gentle throbbing in her foot she now noticed. She nodded to acknowledge she understood him but when he didn't release his grip from around her waist a blush began to form in her cheeks. It of course disappeared when she looked around seductively only to find Ranma fast asleep again, snoring.

She hopped onto her good foot before throwing a pillow at the sleeping boy who, even deep asleep as he was, managed to instinctually catch it out of the air and hug it to his body as he muttered something unintelligible. Aggravated that her near-perfect morning had been practically spoiled a plan started to blossom in her mind.

She hopped across the landing towards the bathroom even as Ku-Lon bounced by on her staff in the opposite direction, the irony lost on both of them.

"Ah Xian-Pu, when you're finished getting ready would you mind telling me the specifics of what happened yesterday, Ranma wasn't very helpful on a few points." Xian-Pu knew which 'points' she was talking about, the conversation with Akane flashed through her mind causing her to scowl. Ku-Lon let her go about her business and she almost walked by before she remembered her plan and told her Great Grandmother what she wanted her to do.

Once in the bathroom she turned the tap on the furo to get the water running and did the same with the shower. Once she was properly clean she turned off the shower and finished waiting for the bath to fill up before graciously sliding into the warm, welcoming waters. She relaxed a little before initiating her plan.

"AIYAH!" The cry wasn't missed throughout the whole house and Ranma was up in an instant, his ears already locking onto the location of the sound as the bathroom. He charged through the unlocked door immediately searching for the one who cried out. What he saw however was a very mischievous looking Xian-Pu up to her shoulders in steamy water.

"Wow, Ranma come in three seconds, Xian-Pu impressed." Finally catching on what she had done he inwardly groaned before turning against Xian-Pu who was giggling softly. However when he tried the door, which he was sure he had left open, he found it locked. Xian-Pu mentally thanked her Great-Grandmother for her part.

"Oh no, is Ranma stuck in bathroom? Maybe he help wash Xian-Pu's back while he here?" Ranma had raised his fist, ready to punch through the lock of the door when he caught sight of himself in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. He had to admit he looked downright exhausted, there were bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess, only barely held in a pigtail. He looked briefly at the warm, inviting waters of the bath, then at Xian-Pu who, to give her credit, was in fact struggling to wash herself whilst avoiding hurting her foot.

Xian-Pu, for her part, was puzzled by Ranma's pause. When she had concocted the plan it was merely light revenge for him making her look a fool. So when he turned around and actually approached the furo her jaw nearly dropped. Where was the shy, nosebleed-prone boy who could barely look at a naked woman without blushing?

He didn't even try the waters before sliding in, a look of pure ecstasy on his face as the cleansing waters worked there magic and seeped the exhaustion from his very pores. He didn't remove his undershorts much to Xian-Pu's dismay but when he motioned for her to hand him the washcloth, even as she was attempting to clean her back, she squealed in delight. This earned her an odd look but Ranma accepted the washcloth anyway.

Wordlessly he went to work cleaning Xian-Pu's back, making sure not to stray to low or too far around with his hands or eyes and before long the both of them were completely clean and just lounging back against the side of the tub. Xian-Pu closed her eyes and rested her head on Ranma's shoulder who, in his strangely tired yet alert condition, accepted the movement. He enjoyed the tickling sensation as some of her lustrous violet hair splayed across the side of his body, the wet strands clinging to his equally wet skin. She looked at him, occasionally using her finger to play through his damp hair and pigtail.

"Why Ranma no let hair out in bath?" Ranma just winced.

"It's a long story for another time."

"Xian-Pu have time."

She was proved wrong as the two were brought out of their relaxed, unmoving stupor as two very irate Amazons loudly banged on the door for Xian-Pu to hurry up, unaware of her guest. Ranma, feeling caught in some unspeakable act bounced to his feet, spraying Xian-Pu with some water before drying off with a towel at speeds that nearly left carpet burns across his body.

He dived out of the open bathroom window before performing a near-impossible mid-air twist to latch onto the roof and using his momentum to throw himself through Xian-Pu's window. If the action hadn't been so damn impressive Xian-Pu might have been angry at his sudden departure from the nice moment they were sharing. She took in a few more lingering moments in the bath before very carefully standing up; she couldn't afford to fall now as she couldn't be sure Ranma would come this time.

It was to two very irked-looking girls that Xian-Pu opened the bathroom door to but upon seeing the merry grin plastered on her features their irritation turned to intrigue. However before they could inquire she walked, or rather limped past them. She reached her room but was disappointed to find Ranma remarkably absent despite having reached the room only a minute after he had.

She threw on a light robe and hopped down the staircase to find Ranma quietly eating at the table, slurping down the food as if it were the last on earth. She happily joined him and also started wolfing down her food, unaware of just how hungry she was until just then. Ku-Lon also joined them where she politely asked Xian-Pu to begin recounting last night's events. When she was finished Ranma was staring at her with incredulity.

"Seriously? Akane challenged you?" mentioning her name he rubbed the sore patch on his face where he had been taken by the carnival mallet. "I didn't think she'd be that dumb." Xian-Pu briefly took pride in the esteem Ranma held her abilities in, even if was only against Akane. She had to take what her fiancée gave her due to his socially awkward nature. "Well I guess I've heard stranger things, but can I ask you to go a bit easy on her, for me?"

At first appalled by Ranma's request she found herself melting as he looked at her, his gaze enough to quell any anger she might have felt.

"Xian-Pu sorry Ranma, too too much pride to not fight fully in challenge." He just sighed and shrugged.

"I figured as much, bit worth me trying anyway. I'm gonna head out and train now, even if you're off your foot for a few days, wanna come help me train? Give me pointers and stuff?" She was touched and nodded vigorously. "Great, see you out there in a minute." As she watched him leave the tale and start to stretch off his arms as he walked she once again admired his commitment to the one of the things he loved more than anything in the world.

* * *

Akane had had a very different night. Once she had left the carnival her feelings settled down and she immediately regretted hitting Ranma like that. She knew that if Xian-Pu's ankle really was sprained then Ranma was just being his usual self and helping an otherwise helpless girl, even if he was doing it at a carnival on what looked suspiciously like a date. But who cared if the pervert was on a date? She didn't care.

However she couldn't lie to herself like that for long and her emotions turned full circle as they landed on guilt once more. She wasn't entirely sure herself why she always hit Ranma, at the times it seemed to make so much sense, he did something wrong, she punished him. What more reason did she need? But in retrospect she found herself comparing what Ranma might find as innocent of just something he wasn't useful with her own interpretations of right and wrong. However hard she tried she couldn't get them to match up.

As if depression was magnetised to find other sources she managed to bump right into the only other person in Nerima, possibly Tokyo, who felt even worse than she did.

"Ryoga?"

"A-A-Akane? What are you doing in the mountain?" She looked at him with a furrowed brow before motioning with her eyes for him to look around. The famously directionless boy did so and immediately groaned in frustration, the nearly visible aura of darkened depression growing even darker.

"What were you planning on doing in the mountains?"

"Training." She sighed at that, having already expected the answer.

"I suppose it was to finally defeat Ranma?"

"Of course, I will never stop until Ranma is on the ground, looking up at me, defeated." She was about to berate him for having a stupid, pointless goal and tell him to just work things out with Ranma but a different idea popped into her mind.

"Ryoga, would you train me?" His eyes shot open in surprise.

"B-but Akane, why would you want me to train you?"

"I challenged Xian-Pu, I know I'm outmatched and you're the only one around here who can go toe to toe with Ranma every other day." He blushed furiously at her compliment and furrowed his brow at the same time as he contemplated her insinuation.

"You make it sound like it's all I do." She tried to hurry on past the subject before he grew annoyed and left.

"But will you do it Ryoga? Train me I mean." She put on an innocent cute face that immediately sent Ryoga into a furious blush and had him rubbing the back of his head vigorously.

"W-Well Akane, you kn-now I can't say no to you."

"That's great!" She hugged him quickly, but let go before he could pass out from blood loss in the ensuing nosebleed. "You can come stay at the dojo while we train, that way we can get more done!" She had the ulterior motive that it would prevent him from wandering off but she failed to mention that to the eternally lost boy.

* * *

**Author's Note: Apologies for the vast fluff in this chapter, I was just in a fuzzy mood today **** Remember to Review and have a great day**


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Did you miss Mr Ramble? You know you did!

* * *

Ryoga woke more refreshed than he had been in weeks, perhaps even months. For the perpetually lost boy time seemed to flow together in one big mish-mash of key events and the blurred moments in between. He felt as though today was one of those events, the day Akane had asked him to stay with her, albeit to train, but to somebody like Ryoga details never really meant that much.

He rolled his bed back and forth to work out the kinks he had gotten while asleep, he was still unused to the comfort of a bed beneath him, so used to the sleeping mat he eternally carried on his shoulders along with the rest of his life. Everything he owned in the world resided in the large bag he never left behind. Everything from a tent to cooking equipment and the few sets of identical black and yellow clothes he owned.

He looked around the spacious dojo he had spent the night in, when Akane had offered that he stay there she had thought it might not be enough but for somebody who had slept outside in a storm when he misplaced his tent, if it had a roof and four walls it might as well be the Ritz. She had been unsure about his cheerful reaction to the bare room but had nevertheless wished him a good night before retiring to her own room.

This of course wasn't Ryoga's first stay at the Tendo household, not even his first in human form but it ranked up there in some of the happiest and peaceful; discounting the night he spent in his cursed form snuggled in bed with Akane. He was sad that during his stay here Akane wouldn't see P-Chan but if it meant he could have some real interaction with the girl he had come to love over time, he didn't mind all that much.

Speaking of which, the aforementioned girl opened up the dojo, surprised at finding Ryoga up so late in the morning.

"You're up a little late aren't you?"

"Why, what's the time?"

"Almost eleven" He chuckled, no wonder he had slept so well and awoken so revitalised.

"Ah well, I didn't get much sleep the night before." It was true, even if he left out the specifics. The night before Akane had found him wandering, Ryoga had been walking down a highway, which one he couldn't say, roads all looked the same. He had the misfortune to be splashed by an oncoming truck, leaving him as a small black piglet, miles from any kind of civilisation. He not only had to go and find a source of hot water, he actually had to go back to where he changed forms to locate his rucksack.

Again Fate didn't smile on the unfortunate lost boy as sure enough, the exact same thing happened as soon as he managed to pick up his bag, which at the time he had been proud to find so quickly. He didn't even attempt to locate it a second time; instead he spent what few coins he had left on a brand new set of equipment, leaving him flat broke. He had intended to get away from roads all together the following day had he not gotten lost and ended up in the middle of Tokyo.

Of course Ryoga's terrible sense of direction wasn't just a curse, on numerous occasions it had taken him where he had needed to be, even if it wasn't where he wanted to be and on this occasion it had led him straight into the arms of his love, figuratively. She was dressed in her pale yellow Gi, headband wrapped firmly around her forehead to keep sweat and hair out of her eyes.

"Hmm, that's a shame, you ready to start training?" Ryoga looked kindly at the short-tempered girl.

"Sorry Akane but if you don't mind I'm going to have a bath first, I've gone nearly a week without one." At least as a human but again, he left that part out. She looked incredibly impatient but relented when she saw the state he was in. Even if his clothes were new the look of a man who had gone unwashed for too long was evident all across the lost boy.

The bath waters were sublime and he found himself drifting off into daydreams, mostly about beating Ranma for once or stealing a kiss from Akane, which even the thought of sent a tiny trickle of blood from his nose. He was sad to leave the waters which had washed away his cares for the day but he re-wrote his face with determination for the day ahead and what he was going to have to do.

When he arrived back at the dojo he found Akane working through various kata's. He immediately noticed her form was good, even if she was trying to put a bit too much force into her punches, which was leaving her unbalanced, this would be one of the first things he corrected.

"Oh hey Ryoga, you ready now?"

"Yeah but I gotta ask something first, why the sudden increase in your training? And why me? Surely you would want Ranma to train you. Wait, did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?!" Ryoga's mind was already playing various reels of what his imagination could come up with but Akane quickly brought him back to reality.

"No! No Ryoga, this has nothing to do with Ranma." She knew that wasn't entirely true but she knew that if Ryoga thought even for a moment that Ranma had hurt her he would storm off to face him and they would never get any training done, he was just noble that way. "It wasn't Ranma, this time it was the Chinese Airhead."

"Shampoo?" Ryoga struggled to think what the purple-haired girl could have possibly done to make Akane act this way. Sure they had never been friends or even really gotten along but Akane had never tried to fight her before. At least now that Ryoga knew her opponent he could figure out what standard Akane needed to be to face her. "Alright well it isn't really my business to get between challenges; I'm only here to train you."

Akane carried on looking expectantly at Ryoga as he walked over to his backpack and drew his special umbrella from its holster on the side. This thing had been a lifesaver countless times as the unpredictable Nerima weather had shown him. It was specially weighted so that even carrying it counted as weight training but nowadays Ryoga barely felt it's presence on his back, the heaviness of his own Ki easily trumping trivialities like actual mass.

He wondered if maybe he should get a heavier umbrella, so that it would be a challenge to lift it like it used to be but he decided against it when he weighed up its sentimental value, there were other ways to increase strength. He looked it over once then through it over to where Akane was standing. It landed on the floor with an audible crack as the floorboards groaned under its weight. Akane just looked at the strange weapon, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

"Akane, I may not be the best trainer for you, a lot of my styles and techniques revolve around my strength. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you aren't strong, but it's not just about how much you can lift or how hard you can punch. It's more about focusing all that strength into as small an area as possible. I use my umbrella to do that, focus my strength so I can lift up my umbrella."

Akane was a bit surprised at the odd request but she attempted it anyway. She was incredibly shocked when she found she could lift the umbrella up enough to even slide her fingers underneath it, the thing practically weighed a ton. Ryoga just nodded, knowingly.

"That is your goal by the end of this week, not only will I teach you to harness your latent strength and focus it, I will increase it to the point where you will be able to lift that umbrella with ease." He stopped for a moment to walk over to his bag once again, this time emerging with what looked like large metal bracelets. "These are training weights, two for your wrists and two for your ankles. You are not to remove these until the end of our training on Saturday."

When Ryoga handed them over Akane nearly buckled under their weight, each one was roughly forty kilograms and when she strapped them on her arms hung down like dead weights. She couldn't believe how Ryoga was acting, gone was the shy and timid teenager she knew, instead here stood a strong, confident, powerful young man who was in his element as he set about preparing for the ensuing training.

They began with a simple regimen of exercises and weights which, with the additional weight of the bracers, made Akane strain harder than she remembered in her life. By the time they were done with the warm-ups she was already exhausted but Ryoga refused to let her quit. She wasn't sure what she had gotten into by signing up with Ryoga, she could only hope it all paid off by the end of the week.

When she finally did flop into bed, not even attempting to remove the bracers for fear of what she might have to do to make it up to Ryoga, she fell sound asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Strangely, as her daytime was taken up by the yellow-clad boy, her dreams were pervaded by his image as well. Whilst some may have called her sleep that night rejuvenating and well-needed, it was confusing none-the-less.

Ryoga fell to his futon almost as tired as Akane was, although her regime would have been like a step backwards for the impossibly strong boy he had kept up his own training which compared with Akane's was like lifting mountains. However when he finally managed to find sleep, he did so with a smile.

* * *

For Xian-Pu the past few days had been torture, having to sit on the sidelines watching Ranma train vigorously, all the while she was laid up for something as stupid as a misplaced foot. That wasn't to say Ranma didn't appreciate having her there, she pointed out the few flaws she could find in his techniques, stances, anything he was currently doing. Far from finding it annoying Ranma would actually thank Xian-Pu every time she noticed him move too soon or not put enough power into a movement.

They both agreed that knowing your flaws was the first step to correcting them and Ranma had done a lot toward that end in the last few days. Normally his father would actively spar with his son, not giving him time to look over the small problems, instead focusing on the bigger ones that would result in a lapse in concentration or a misstep. The pigtailed martial artist found it refreshing to almost go back to basics and work out the small kinks in his regiment that might someday have turned into fatal errors.

Ranma was training with an unusual intensity, even for him. Xian-Pu suspected it was due to Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung returning to China today. He was in high spirits that the two would finally be gone and life would return to some semblance of normality, as much as that word applied in Furinkan. Having dropped school Ranma also found himself with an unexpected load of free-time, at first he tried to fill those hours with pure training and at first it appeared to pay off. Of course no one could spend that much time doing just one thing, even something they loved, and Ranma had to start filling the lonely hours with something else to do.

He had gone out more than a few times with Xian-Pu, they had gone out a few times to various places that anybody else would have seen as 'date locations' even though Ranma would have denied it profusely. They had a particularly good time at a professional martial arts gymnastics match, even though Ranma was loathe to go at first due to his unpleasant memories concerning his first real meeting with Kodachi, however the two managed to get a good show out of it and had spent the rest of the evening just wandering, or in Xia-Pu's case hobbling, around for a while, merely talking.

When Ranma talked with Xian-Pu he found it unexpectedly relaxing. Before a week ago the brunt of their conversations had consisted of a 'Nihao' from Xian-Pu, a nervous 'hello' or 'get off of me' from Ranma followed by either a rude interruption from Mu-Tzu, Akane, or any of the other people around Nerima who just loved to mess with Ranma's life. Now though they could talk about anything from new training, to television shows, even to favourite food.

The more they talked the more they found out they had in common, besides their shared curse and background in martial arts they found they both enjoyed similar taste in food, namely all of it, as well as a secret shared love of manga. It was a joy Xian-Pu discovered when she had first arrived in Japan and had quickly progressed into love. Ranma snuck the occasional book out of Nabiki's room when she wasn't looking and read it up in his favourite thinking place on top of the roof.

However when Xian-Pu expressed that her all time favourite author was Rumiko Takahashi Ranma just stared at her blankly, something fizzled in his brain at the words but he merely shrugged it off and moved onto other topics. Ranma felt as though he had found a true friend in Xian-Pu, glad that he had somebody other than Ukyo who he could just talk with about nothing in particular.

Xian-Pu smiled from her position overlooking an eagerly exercising Ranma as she pondered over the bond that had grown between the two teenagers. With a start she realised it hadn't come about from some scheme or trick or magical item, they had simply grown closer as they spent time together, as any normal couple might. Admittedly it helped they were forced to live together but all the same she felt as though, travelling along the path she had been, she might never have gotten this chance to truly learn about and understand her Airen.

This was the main reason she felt so terrible today, after all this hard work, after all this pain and joy she was finally approaching the point where Ranma would leave her. When her sisters boarded the plane to return to China she felt a though Ranma might as well go with them. He would return to the Tendo house and Akane where the two new friends would begin to drift apart. At least there was one silver lining to the miserable cloud that was her day, her foot was nearly healed and Ku-Lon had told her she could begin training today.

* * *

"Do over!"

"No can do Saotome."

"Come on Tendo, don't be so strict, give your old pal a break!"

"Saotome, is that really anyway for a martial artist to behave?"

"But Tendo, isn't mercy a quality of a martial artist?"

"Once or twice yes Saotome, but in your case..."

"What exactly are you implying Tendo!"

* * *

**Author's note: Urgh, I dislike writing tangents from the story like that but I felt as though that little insight into Akane's training was important, hope you guys agree and remember reviews are like invisible hugs so keep 'em coming!**


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Time for a vote I think, who thinks I can keep up this update speed until the end of the fanfic? Cast your votes... wait for it... wait for it...NOW!

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The scene at the airport was much too emotional for Ranma's liking, sure he was happy that the two younger Amazon's were finally returning home but for Xian-Pu to make such a show out of it was indescribable to the pigtailed boy. She must have hugged the two girls five times each, wishing them safe travels and to visit again soon, something Ranma found himself balking over.

By the end of the overtly emotional display the twins seemed actually pleased to be going and were happy enough with Ku-Lon's curt nod at each of them. To say the girls' trip had been a disappointment felt like an understatement to the green and pink-haired Amazons. They had come back to Japan in search of vengeance for their sister, and found none, they had also come in search of opponents of their calibre. To that end they had found weaklings in the boys and psychopaths in the girls.

So when the boarding call finally came that announced the beginning of the twins' journey back to their homes, thrilled and relieved were the best words to describe them. They jumped out of Xian-Pu's suffocating embrace and ran with their luggage to the gate. However they didn't board the plane until they were sure that none of the flight attendants were actually martial artists of their skill level.

Ranma himself was a mirror of the two girls' relief, finally the two girls who prevented him from seeing his Pop and friends were gone and relative normality could resume. He actually waved the two off in the end as the three watched the plane take off unnaturally early to its destination in the north. It was only after the last wisps of the vapour trail had dissipated in the sky that Xian-Pu allowed them to turn and leave.

For the lavender-haired Amazon today was a day for mixed feelings. She had felt relief when she found that she could walk unaided to the airport, meaning she could finally begin training for her up-coming match with Akane however with the departure of her sisters Ranma no longer had any reason to stay at the Nekohanten. He would return to The Tendo's and things would start to go back to the way things used to be.

The two emotionally contrasted teenagers and one elderly woman with an amused but reserved expression walked and hopped respectively, out of the airport and started on their way back to Furinkan. At first the trio walked in silence, minus the slight clack Ku-Lon's staff made when she jumped but as time wore on Ranma grew worried by Xian-Pu's continued lack of conversation. The usually ineffably joyful girl seemed to have a dark cloud of depression hanging over her. Though she may not have been crying it brought up those same feelings Ranma got when he did see a girl cry.

"Hey Shampoo, are you okay?" They dropped back a few paces behind the older Amazon matriarch. Xian-Pu looked up from the ground which her eyes had been glued to since leaving Tokyo airport. She instead looked into the deep blue orbs of Ranma's eyes, to which he stared into her own purple ones. She fought the urge to simply lie outright to the boy before here, even if thing started returning to how they used to be, she didn't want them to become exactly how they were.

"Xian-Pu sad because now Ranma have no reason to stay at Nekohanten, he go stay with Tendo's again and things go back to old ways." Ranma was shocked, he had been so happy about the two girls leaving he had completely ignored just how this would impact on the teenager that had increasingly grown more and more important to him over the last week and a half.

"Um, they don't have to Shampoo." Xian-Pu continued to look at him blankly, not wanting to get her hopes up, she never could tell in which direction her conversations with Ranma would go. "I mean, it's not like I wouldn't see you at all and with no school I'm going to have loads more free time, I could come round, and out, train and stuff."

Just as the three unusual people rounded the corner onto the Cat-Cafe's street Xian-Pu's heart gave a small flutter of hope for what Ranma's words might mean for the future. She had always considered Akane's status living with Ranma had given the short-tempered girl a highly unfair advantage over his other fiancées, one she never deserved for the way she treated him or one she took for granted given her treatment of him. However with what Ranma promised she felt as though that particular advantage could be nullified if she really worked on the bond that had been slowly strengthening between them.

Just as she was about to voice her new-found pleasure at Ranma's semi-promise he was suddenly yanked out from her view. Swivelling immediately in the direction he had been pulled she found his father holding him by both shoulders, trying to pass him a large backpack filled to the brim with equipment one might expect to take on a hike up a mountain.

"Oh hey, Pop, what's going on?

"Never mind that now boy, we're leaving!" Ranma shrugged of his father's firm grip at that.

"What you mean like a training trip, it's kind of sudden don't ya think?"

"No not a training trip boy! I mean we're leaving Tokyo, maybe even Japan!" Ranma actually laughed straight into the older man's face.

"What the heck are you talking about Pop, I ain't leaving Nerima, just tell me what's going on already."

"I can't stay there anymore son! Not with that man!"

"You mean Mr Tendo?" Panic began to set in for Ranma as he considered what might have happened to drive a wedge between two old friends like this.

"Of course I mean that scourge of a man! Who else?"

"Calm down pop, what did he do exactly?" Now Ranma was really getting a bad feeling about all of this, he had never heard his father call anybody a scourge, never mind his oldest friend.

"He wouldn't let me have a do over in Shogi!" Ranma, Xian-Pu and even Ku-Lon all face-faulted at the idiotic words spewing from the half-panda's mouth. When they had recovered, Ranma first, he immediately dismissed the older man.

"Get lost Pop, I don't have time for your games. Lin-Lin and Lun-Lun are finally gone and I would like some time with my friends." Once again Genma placed his hands on Ranma, this time firmly grasping his arm.

"Don't argue with your father boy now let's go, we have a lot of ground to cover by nightfall." Ranma violently ripped his arm out of the strong grip before backing away from his father.

"Pop, just calm down, get some rest and think this over, if you ask the old Ghoul you might even be able to stay at the cafe." Genma just huffed.

"I'd rather take my chances on the streets than with that hag and her demented granddaughter." Ranma looked as though he was going to say something, anything to see his father see reason; however he looked at the ground and sighed. Sixteen years of experience told him all he needed to know about his father 'seeing reason' and the results weren't looking good.

"You know what Pop, I don't want to deal with this, today was supposed to be a good day and I'm not going to let you or anybody else ruin it." Genma looked, appalled and shocked at the way his son was talking to him, there was no anger, no sadness, just complete apathy. Genma's shock quickly turned to confusion before indignation.

"You would forsake your own father Ranma?" Ranma still spoke with the same indifferent tone, without a hint of accusation or irritation.

"I do when he talks nonsense and won't see reason." Seeing no change in his son's attitude Genma did what came naturally to him, he turned and left. However before he took three steps Ranma coughed loudly, Genma turned, the smallest hint of hope evident in his eyes.

"And Pop, if you call Shampoo demented ever again, we'll meet again on less than friendly terms." With that he turned away from his father, a part of him confident that things would work out between them and he would patch things up with Soun; however a smaller, quieter, but no less confident part of his mind insisted that this might just have been the last straw that broke the camel's back. At least both parts of him agreed that only time would tell.

Ranma walked back over to Xian-Pu, immediately noting the absence of Ku-Lon. "Hey, where'd the old ghoul go?"

"Great-Grandmother go back to cafe, she say what happen here personal between Airen and Panda-man."

"So why didn't you go?" Xian-Pu smiled a little, the first time that day.

"Ranma's decision important to Xian-Pu, if he choose to go with Panda-man, Xian-Pu would have to chase her Airen all over again." Both of them shuddered slightly, the time spent running from Xian-Pu had not been pleasant for Ranma, having to always look over your shoulder as you moved from place to place was tiring. It was almost as bad for Xian-Pu, countless nights spent searching for even the tiniest trail of the girl who had so easily beaten her without warm bed or readily available food to eat.

"Yeah, well, I guess we don't have that problem do we." Xian-Pu looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Why Ranma not go with Panda-man?" Ranma sighed deeply.

"I don't know, maybe if he asked a week ago I might have gone, hell just to get away from this crazy fiancée situation would have been reason enough-" He looked up quickly, giving a sheepish smile "-No offense or anything." Xian-Pu actually didn't take any, the time she had gotten to know Ranma in ahd taught her a great deal about the way he used to see her, she was now just happy that those thoughts were in the past tense.

"Anyway, I guess I don't really know what's changed, maybe I'm just used to living here, maybe I can start seeing a future here, or at least one where staying here, at least for a while is necessary." Once again he looked at her with a goofy grin. "Man that must have sounded cheesy." Xian-Pu smiled a little more now after hearing his confession.

"Xian-Pu no think Ranma saying how he feel is 'cheesy' She think it honest and better than burying feelings and doing what Airen no want to do." Ranma felt a bit reassured after that.

"Well I don't know about you but this whole things threatening to bring down my spirits, Why don't we go see Ucchan?" She smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, the seemingly innocent things Ranma had revealed to her needed to be thought over, and she did just that as the pair made off toward Ukyo's restaurant.

"Ranchan! It's so great to see you after so long!" Ranma blushed as the Okonomiyaki Chef threw herself onto him in a big hug that would have made Xian-Pu proud if she wasn't deep in thought and barely noticed.

"Aw come on Ucchan, It's only been a week" he rubbed his head, just waiting for the jealous reaction from Xian-Pu at the extra attention he was receiving from his oldest friends. When it didn't come he remembered the agreement the two of them made when they first became friends.

"So, I take it from this impromptu arrival that those two Chinese girls are finally gone and our lives can come out of that grinding halt?" She said it with a smirk but Ranma just looked at her seriously.

"Yeah, their gone but I mean, this week hasn't been all bad right?" As he said it Ukyo noticed the smallest of flickers from Ranma's eyes as they moved to look at Xian-Pu so quickly even he might not have realised he had done it. However she kept up her friendly face, not wanting to ruin the moment with her friend for so long, wait that was strange, she had just internally called Ranchan a friend. Until now she had always thought about him as a fiancée, she would have to do some serious introspection later on.

"Well You got that right, ever since you stopped coming here my profits have gone up a lot." All three teens chuckled before Ranma longingly looked at the grill lining then counter where Ukyo worked.

"Hey Ucchan, speaking of which..." he motioned with his head toward the aforementioned grill and Ukyo immediately caught his meaning.

"Sure thing Ranma Honey, one of your favourites, Calamari Okonomiyaki, coming right up." Ukyo's already impressive cooking skills had only increased in the time Ranma had to avoid her as she found those long gaps of her day, usually filled up by Ranma or some other crazy event in Nerima, start to become empty as the craziness of Furinkan settled down briefly. Instead she took to working on her art, and it sure paid off.

In no time at all delicious looking seafood Okonomiyaki was sitting, steaming in front of Ranma, who quickly tucked in, his eyes watering at the perfect blend of flavours and texture. When Xian-Pu bit into her own dish, which quickly followed Ranma's, even she had to admit the food was divine, not that she wanted to inflate Ukyo's ego. Whilst thy may be acting civil, even friendly toward one another, they were still technically rivals and she couldn't know that she was a better cook that herself, even if it was only this one food.

Ranma quickly finished the second platter Ukyo set before him and while Xian-Pu say happily munching her own food the two old friends caught up on what they had missed. Ranma laughed at the stories Ukyo told of the impact his absence from school had caused. Apparently Kuno thought he had finally vanquished the 'vile Saotome' enough times for him to get the message and stay away from Akane and the pigtailed girl.

Ranma figured he would have to visit the kendo enthusiast at some point and correct his mistake; however Ukyo informed him there was no need. He laughed uncontrollably at Ukyo's impression of Kuno flying through the air after a particularly strong kick from Akane after proclaiming his love for her with twice his normal gusto. Ranma may have just found it an interesting story but Xian-Pu was more concerned with the news about Akane.

"Ukyo say Akane kick stick-boy extra hard?" Ukyo, still laughing slightly turned her attention away from Ranma.

"Um Yeah, I suppose so, why?" After Ranma was done rolling on the floor he helped Xian-Pu explain the situation between her and Akane and the upcoming match.

"Huh, you two are actually going all out huh, where's my slice of the action?" She said it as a joke of course but inside she was a little hurt at being left out, she was still a valid fiancée of Ranma's after al. She passed it off as being a bit more personal between Akane and Xian-Pu and left it at that.

"Well hey Ucchan, maybe you could find out a bit about this newfound strength of Akane's?"

"Sorry Ranchan, you know I would normally do anything for you but I really shouldn't take sides in something like this."

"Ah well I figured as much. Oh hey! Xian-Pu speaking of newfound strength, I guess as you're off the crutches you can start training again? Thanks for lunch Ucchan, but we better be going, we have to make up for lost time." And with that he grabbed Xian-Pu's hand and rushed out of the restaurant, but not before the startled Chinese girl managed to throw enough money to cover the food at the equally startled chef.

* * *

"Ungrateful boy should treat me with the respect I deserve as his father. Practically threw me out into the cold. Really, choosing to stay with those conniving Amazons than his own flesh and blood, why if my father-" Genma had been muttering similar things non-stop from the moment his son had turned him back on him and walked away.

Since then he had been wandering rather aimlessly around random streets of Tokyo, not at all sure what to do now. Before this he had always had a plan or goal. Teach Ranma the school, get him married to Akane, prove he was a man among men to Nodoka and retire in comfort. Now he could only look around him at the shattered remains off that oh so simple plan that was now nothing more than dust at his feet.

It was this deep introspection at the perceived ruin of his lie that made him careless of where he was going. This made it all the more surprising when he crashed into a brick wall. He had been sure he was walking in the middle of the street yet he had managed to walk into something as sturdy as a boulder. When he looked up he found a young bandana-clan man with a pained and lost expression on his face, who had barely noticed the slight bump against him made by the older man.

"Ryoga my boy!? I thought you were staying with the Tendos, what brings you out here?" For the first time Ryoga noticed the large man on the floor looking up at him.

"Oh, Mr Saotome, um I left the house to walk across to the dojo and now I'm here, must have taken a wrong turn somewhere." Genma looked around them for a street sign to actually figure out where they were.

"I'd say so boy, you're about eleven blocks from there." Ryoga looked at him with utter despair.

"Great! Now how am I going to get back?" Genma looked curiously at the boy who had fought toe to toe with the boy he himself had trained all these years, his impressive physique and inherent strength, all leading toward a near-perfect martial artist.

"Don't worry Ryoga I'll lead you back. Say boy, have you ever considered settling down, maybe gaining a master, or a school...?"


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. So... whoop da woop sha diddly waplaca migano shiplop minorga... you get me?

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Ranma had thought it before this evening and he was probably going to think it again, Xian-Pu had made a startling recovery. She was barely a few hours off her crutches and she was already working through various routines that made professional gymnasts look like inflexible toddlers. Of course she was still favouring her uninjured leg which, in a real fight, could be a costly mistake if your opponent decided to take advantage of that. He knew it was partly all of the stress and anxiety that had built up over that last few days, about her injury and about Akane, finally bursting to the surface.

At least she had a healthy vent for her frustrations, unlike some other people Ranma knew. Hell if Akane practiced her martial arts every time she was angry or upset instead of shattering bricks then maybe she could take on Xian-Pu. As it was Ranma was unsure of why Xian-Pu thought she needed to train hard. He would never admit it to either of them but Xian-Pu was easily the better fighter, she had years of uninterrupted training from someone even Ranma begrudgingly respected, and Amazon matriarch no less.

Xian-Pu on the other hand never took a challenge lightly, it had been a hard lesson for her growing up never to underestimate any opponents, it had definitely cost her a few scars over the years. There was another reason she was training so hard but like her Airen she would never willingly admit it. She never wanted to look weak or feeble in front of Ranma. Whilst she was sure he wasn't the vain or shallow person that many made him out to be, she still wanted him to accept her as at least his equal, someone he could respect, if not love.

She finished the kata she was running through at lightning pace and stopped to catch her breath. As she walked around to loosen up her joints a bit Ranma could notice a visible limp in her injured leg that hadn't been there moments ago.

"Hey Shampoo, maybe you should rest a while, your staring to limp, you don't want to injure yourself again do you." Xian-Pu didn't have time for her Airen's concern, right now she was training and when the Lavender-haired Amazon trained, nothing stopped her. However just as she was about to spring into the next technique she found a firm hand gripping her wrist. She couldn't struggle out of it as Ranma was stronger than her and she was in no condition to even attempt fighting him yet so she just sort of went limp in that immovable grasp.

"Come on Shampoo, I don't want to see you hurt yourself, just take like twenty minutes to cool off, you'll feel better and stronger for it." There was not patronizing tone in his voice just his own honest opinion and Xian-Pu immediately relented. "Why don't we go out and get something to eat?" Xian-Pu looked up at him expectantly waiting for him to suggest where they go but he in turn looked thoughtful.

"Where Ranma want eat?" Again there was that same thoughtful look.

"You know when I asked I was thinking Ucchan's but for some reason I just don't feel like Okonomiyaki right now, do you know any good restaurants around?" Xian-Pu couldn't believe her ears, was Ranma actually asking her to go to a restaurant, with her, like a date?

"Xian-Pu only ever eat here or Ukyo's but Great Grandmother might know." Ranma seemed to find this acceptable.

"Alright, if you want to get cleaned up I'll go ask the old Ghoul." Xian-Pu, in her newly discovered good mood giggled.

"Why Ranma call great-Grandmother that? Maybe if Ranma just call her by name, she no hit Airen on head, maybe even teach Ranma new techniques." Ranma was about to retort with all the crazy stuff that Ku-Lon had ever pulled on him but with some kid of epiphany he realized that Xian-Pu had done almost as much so why, if he could give the bubbly teen before him a second chance, couldn't he give one to the older Amazon?

"Hmm, maybe you're right" Xian-Pu wasn't so surprised by the answer as much as the sincerity and thankfulness with which he said it, had he actually taken something that she had said and taken it to heart. She tried not to show her surprise so she took off to the bathroom to get cleaned. Ranma also turned away, searching for the wrinkled old woman and her signature staff. He came across her in the kitchen looking through an old scroll that looked as though a strong gust of wind would cause it to disintegrate into dust.

"Hey, Cologne, do you know any good restaurants around here?" Ku-Lon was so enthralled by the centuries old information in the scroll she only just managed to stop herself before the staff came down on Ranma's head, he hadn't called her 'Old Ghoul'. She was actually quite happy that this teenager, someone who should have been fairly unremarkable in his sixteen years as opposed to her three hundred and twelve, was able to make her genuinely surprised on a weekly basis. She smiled something that, for one, didn't make Rama cringe in disgust.

"Well Ranma, there is a nice place that opened up a few blocks away just two days ago; I have to keep track of any competition you know."

"Um, thanks." It was Ranma's turn to be puzzled, the shriveled old woman on the staff had addressed him directly but not referred to him as son-in-law, perhaps what Xian-Pu had said was true, all it took was for somebody to make the first move for things to actually go his way. For once the pigtailed martial artist was glad his naturally stubborn nature had been overcome, at least in this situation.

Ku-Lon wrote down the details for Ranma and went back to reading her scroll, however she was now distracted, she had to find out what had brought this startling change in her future son-in-law. Ranma considered how quickly and hassle free that had gone, he could definitely get used to things like this happening more often in his life. Now that he had some free time he figured he might as well get changed, he wasn't much better than Xian-Pu in the 'looking bedraggled' department so he made his may upstairs to Xian-Pu's room where he absent-mindedly fixed his hair before rummaging for a new shirt.

The only clean one he could find was similar to his normal red shirt but in a turquoise blue, much lighter material with pale purple fasteners. He also threw on one of his spare black trousers and hurried back downstairs to where he found Ku-Lon surprisingly waiting for him, hand outstretched with money. "Don't think you can get away with eating at this restaurant for free Ranma. What the Kuonji girl might let slip, other's won't be so lenient on."

Ranma, despite the new, possible understanding between the two, was still reluctant to accept the money, but with none of his own and no way to make any in the next few minutes he took it, adamant that it was the only possibility. It was a small blow to his pride but all of that was quickly forgotten when Xian-Pu walked down the stairs.

She wasn't wearing any spectacular or scandalous dress, her hair wasn't done up any way special, there was no additional jewelry or ornaments adorning her body, she was just dressed in one of her long shirts with red pumps and her normal Hairstyle with the golden Baubles separating her hair into long flowing locks. There was nothing different or remarkable about the girl whatsoever.

However for Ranma a huge, monumental, paradigm shifting change had occurred. He had thought that Xian-Pu looked beautiful. She had done nothing to try and impress him, nothing to even try and make him think anything new about her yet all the same he found his gaze shifting between different aspects of her, the slight curl to her lips that gave her the impression of always smiling, the sparkle in her pale purple eyes that hinted at intelligence and compassion, the way the strands of her hair seemed to merge into one shining mass.

Several parts of Ranma screamed at him to just run away from the foreign, yet not completely unwanted feelings rushing to him. However that obstinate part he had been thinking about earlier firmly rooted his feet to the spot, even as a small smile of his own graced his own features. Perhaps he wasn't ready to give up on being stubborn after all. He pocketed the money quickly but not before thanking Ku-Lon out the corner of his mouth in a hushed whisper that only she could hear.

"Ranma decide on place to go?" Her tone was so casual, normal, he was thankful that she hadn't noticed the subtle change in Ranma, even if he had. He was standing a bit more relaxed, looking ever so slightly at the ground in embarrassment, tonight he was no longer the cocky, over-achieving martial artist, he was the slightly shy Teenage boy going out the a restaurant with a girl he realised he had genuinely fond feelings for.

He nodded and she happily took his hand and together they left the cafe into the slightly chilly night. They didn't say much as they walked, Xian-Pu was just happy Ranma didn't flinch away from her touch and Ranma was fairly content to just be beside Xian-Pu, walking. Eventually they made it to the restaurant, Ku-Lon had been right; it did look nice, if a little out of the way. It didn't seem to deter customers and Ranma was worried when he saw how packed the place was.

Cautiously he approached the area where potential customers were to wait for a waiter to locate seats for them and a few seconds later a chipper young man in a white shirt and black waistcoat appeared out of seemingly nowhere, startling the normally unflappable fighter.

"Are you here to eat young man?"

"Uh, yeah." It seemed like an odd question to Ranma, he did after all walk into a restaurant, what else he was going to do? Then again as he thought about it her realised this was Nerima, strange things happened everyday and he wouldn't have been too surprised to learn that the restaurant had had people in just to fight or pronounce their love or something of the like, even in their short two days of being open.

"Well you're in luck, we just had a cancellation for a table for two, so if you'll follow me." Ranma just thought that was strangely lucky for him and Xian-Pu. He followed the man nevertheless and soon he was seated across from Xian-Pu on a fairly plain table with a clean, crisp white tablecloth and two menus laid out before them.

Mentally counting the money Ku-Lon had given him he realised there was a lot more than they would need for one meal, comforted that he wouldn't be stuck, unable to pay the bill he quickly chose some teppanyaki and sashimi while Xian-Pu ordered some sushi rolls and buckwheat noodles. As they waited, which wasn't for long they talked idly about various things, what they were expecting from Akane in the upcoming fight, Ranma's situation with his father, Xian-Pu grinned happily when he firmly informed her he wasn't going to leave just because his father did.

They were pleased by the quick service from the restaurant and were soon tucking into their respective dished. Ranma marvelled at the delicious food, he now understood why the restaurant was so popular and booked up only two days after its opening. Neither had time for conversation any more as they delightedly shovelled down the mouth-watering food. They were finished in minutes, both looking satisfied now their appetites were properly sated.

Ranma enjoyed the happiness radiating off of Xian-Pu as she leaned back in her chair, delicately wiping off the last of her food from her mouth, perhaps she had been a bit over-zealous in its consumption but Ranma still found it cute. He paid the waiter who came over asking if that would be all they were having but after deciding that a good night like this shouldn't be over yet he asked the man if there was anything fun to do in the general area.

The waiter looked carefully at the teenage couple before him trying to weigh up their idea of 'fun' but something about them threw him off and he decided on something neutral that could either be considered a 'good time or if these two wanted, a continuation of their 'date'. He mentioned a local Ferris wheel, one of the biggest in the world and for a moment Ranma wondered why he hadn't seen the thing before.

He shrugged it off as just one of those things he didn't pay attention to and thanked the waiter before taking Xian-Pu's hand and leaving the restaurant. The waiter smiled briefly, it was nice to see young couples out having a good time and it reminded him of his own days of youth. Ranma on the other hand was less than pleased, to him a Ferris wheel wasn't his idea of fun and he thought his objections would be mirrored by his companion, however one look at Xian-Pu told him all he needed to know about her views on the matter.

The purple-haired girl had of course heard of the large mechanical wheels that brought you high into the sky in protected bubbles but, living in very rural China she had never gotten the chance to ride, or even see one and was excited at the prospect. Ranma thought that if Xian-Pu was happy about it then he didn't mind it, in fact he too had never ridden of one of the metal behemoths but that wasn't for lack of opportunity, more for his image as a serious martial artist, not a child.

Now they knew what they were looking for they found it easily, the waiter had been right about it being one of the largest in the world, the contraption was huge. It dwarfed the local buildings and even a few small skyscrapers. Ranma pondered just how much you could see from the top, he figured he'd get his answer soon enough.

It cost him his remaining money for two tickets and soon the two where sat down in their own little bubble as the ground shrank further and further away. The entire gondola was constructed of a tough, yet perfectly transparent plastic that let them see for miles in every direction as they neared the top. Whilst Xian-Pu looked excitedly first one way, then the other, pointing awed at various Tokyo landmarks they could see, Ranma's focus was far more centred on the excited girl.

Once more he found himself unable to break his gaze away from the beautiful Lavender-haired Amazon before him. As the two neared the peak of their ride Xian-Pu noticed Rama staring at her in a way she hadn't seen before. If she had thought harder she might have realised she too had looked at him in that way, on countless occasions.

"Airen, is something wrong? Xian-Pu have something on face?" As she looked about herself, trying to find the reason Ranma kept staring the teenage boy found his body moving on auto-pilot. His hands reached out to grab hers, halting her sub-frantic search. She looked up into his face, finally seeing what was going on as Ranma began to lean in towards her.

She had pictured this moment dozens of times, in myriads of situations, sure in a Ferris wheel gondola wasn't one of them but it didn't detract from the magic of the moment. She closed her eyes and leaned into the moment, all thoughts completely wiped from her mind save one; that it had finally happened.

Of course fate, not one to be shown up by two kids barely half-way through their teens, choose this exact moment to interfere in what would have otherwise been a glorious night for the pair. The entire Ferris wheel shook from some as of yet unseen blow and both Ranma and Xian-Pu were sent flying forward, painfully head butting one another, even as the Bubble they were in lilted to one side, one of the sturdy steel cables connecting them to the rest of the wheel snapping in two.

Ranma acted on impulse, grabbing Xian-Pu in one hand and the door of the bubble in the other. He wrenched open the tough plastic and quickly cleared the gap across to the metal framework of the wheel, luckily it had stopped moving after the shudder otherwise he might have lost his footing and plunged hundreds of feet. He checked to see id Xian-Pu was alright which she confirmed by shakily standing up on the thick metal lattice, looking around for the cause of the disturbance to their night.

They should have known when the disturbance showed itself to be Ryoga, who nimble jumped up to their position on top of the wheel. Xian-Pu stared at the lost boy blankly before that particular realisation set in and she turned murderous, however Ranma beat her to it.

"Ryoga, what the hell are you thinking! You could have hurt innocent people man!" Ryoga just stared back defiant and almost uncaring, although he did spare a glance down to check if he had indeed hurt anybody.

"That's not important. Ranma, I challenge you for the right to the Saotome School of Anything Goes martial arts, as backed by my new master Genma Saotome!" Ranma's anger turned to sheer dumbfoundedness.

"Pop? But- wait, what the hell is going on? Since when is Pop your master?"

"Like I said Ranma that's not important, do you accept or not!" Ranma dropped into a fighting stance, careful to check his footing on the slippery metal. "Not here you idiot, we could die if we fell. Saturday, we fight on Saturday!" Ranma eased up a little, looking incredulous but for once he was glad he didn't have to fight here, the prospect made him gulp as he looked down.

"Fine I accept your challenge, I just hope you come to your senses by then and forfeit or I'm going to wipe the floor with you Ryoga, Pop training you or not." Satisfied the challenge had been met Ryoga jumped across to a girder a bit down from them before repeating the maneuver over and over until he was safely down. Once he was gone Ranma looked across at Xian-Pu who looked ready to copy the lost boy before he stopped her.

"I'll carry you down, your ankle still isn't fully healed and a slip from here could be fatal." She quickly agreed, not wanting to do something stupid like what had gotten her injured in the first place, but with more severe consequences. She climbed onto Ranma's back and he deftly piggybacked her down to the ground where she slipped off.

Once the ride attendants made sure they weren't harmed in case of law suits they hurried back to repairing the damage on their ride before anybody did actually get hurt. The two walked in silence for a while, both thinking about their upcoming matches, now scheduled for the same day before the both simultaneously realised they weren't even going in any particular direction so Ranma turned to Xian-Pu.

"Come on, let's go home and get some sleep, it's been a long day." He was unsettled by the questioning look Xian-Pu gave him.

"Ranma go back to Cat-Cafe?" He laughed and shook his head, unsure at what she was talking about.

"Yeah of course, why not?"

"Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung gone now, Ranma can go back to Tendo house." He had genuinely forgotten that little fact and wasn't sure whether or not to be happy at the news. Sure he had wanted his life to go back to the way it had been but the last few days, and especially tonight caused those adamant feelings to become contested in his mind. One look at the disappointment written across his companions face set his resolve and with a now much more confident grin he turned back to her.

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right." Her face sank even lower "But..." She looked up quickly, "... my stuff's all at your place and it'd be such a hassle to move it, plus with Pop not even living there I'd really feel like a freeloader then so what's the point of me staying there as long as you don't mind me living at yours?" She shot forward, tackling Ranma into the ground with a massive hug that actually winded him, but for the first moment in his life he didn't try to push her off or yell at her, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

The two teens stayed like that for, well, they didn't actually know how long they maintained that warm, comforting embrace but it could have been centuries or a few seconds for all they cared, as long as it was real. They dusted themselves off as they stood up and walked the few minutes back to the Nekohanten, it didn't take very long as they were actually going in the right direction.

When they reached the door Xian-Pu made a movement to open it but Ranma stopped her hand. He spun her back around to face him and before anything could come along to ruin the moment he planted his lips on hers. Too startled to react Xian-Pu just stared wide-eyed as the moment she had dreamed of came to fruition, before melting into the kiss, he own lips joining with Ranma's as electricity sparked between the couple.

Neither was sure who broke the kiss first, maybe they both did, but they came out of it grinning stupidly at one another, perfectly content. All their concerns about the future washed away in that charged moment before Ranma opened the front door to let her in. Nothing could ruin the moment as the pair moved through the quiet cafe toward Xian-Pu's... no, _their _room.

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**Author's note: Think it's over? Think again! Thanks for all the glorious reviews guys, each one is like a chocolate bar dripping in rainbows... okay maybe not that much but their appreciated all the same, so keep them coming!**


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties, etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I've been thinking about using my time machine to change that but in the end I just can't be asked to deal with all the paradoxes.

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Never the types to be distracted during training for any reason, the two teens who had taken the next step in their relationship suddenly found that they had very little time to actually do anything about it. Training took up a great deal of their time, and now that Xian-Pu was back on her feet she had to start to make deliveries again. Ranma had offered to help to take some of the strain off and get her more time to train.

They had spent time some nights trying to work out how to break the news to Ranma's other fiancées, while Xian-Pu wanted to go the direct route and just tell them Ranma really didn't want anybody hurt so he spent any time not with Xian-Pu, working or training mulling over the problem. However at the moment he had no time for trivialities as he was working through an extremely complicated kata that required his utmost concentration.

Xian-Pu had finished her deliveries for the day and was right next to him, working through the same technique. The two were in perfect sync, moving like water as if they were mirror images of one another. In preparation for their individual challenges the two had begun training one another, Ranma was trained in many Amazon hand-to-hand techniques while he easily incorporated into his own style and in turn he trained Xian-Pu in mid-air combat, the specialty of the Saotome School.

With her natural grace and Olympic-level flexibility she adapted to the style with surprising ease, even managing to incorporate her Chúi in ways Ranma hadn't even considered. She had astounded him by using the heavy hammers to create momentum mid-air to twist her bodies into even more complicated maneuvers Ranma loved seeing Xian-Pu so focused and dedicated, even if it was to train and fight Akane.

He had little time to worry about that fight, not that he had to. Xian-Pu was an amazing and natural combatant and there could only be one outcome to it. Anyway as far as he knew they weren't actually fighting over anything, there was no consequence to defeat except a hit to the losers pride. His fight on the other hand had much higher stakes, what was his father thinking putting his role as heir to the Anything goes School into question? And with Ryoga no less?

At first he had wanted to seek out his father and beat an explanation out of him but decided against it, the old man would expect this, why not let him sweat for a while before he showed him why Ranma Saotome was the uncontested heir. It was only Ryoga; he had never been beaten by the lost boy before, at least when he wasn't supernaturally aided of course. However the fact that his father might be training him against all his own moves was cause for concern.

It was one of the reasons he was adamant about learning some new techniques from Xian-Pu, there were definitely going to be a few surprises in store for Ryoga. He ran through a checklist in his head, Ryoga had the Bakusai Tenketsu, but that had never been much of an issue, especially now that Ranma could use it with as much ease even if less experience. He also had only what his father could teach him, that ruled out the Amaguriken or the Hiryu Shoten-Ha. Although Ryoga did know about both of those and luring Ryoga into the necessary spiral would be next to impossible.

There was also the problem of Ryoga's incredible endurance thanks to his proper Bakusai Tenketsu training and his own inherent strength. Ranma could always take the easy way out and douse the boy in cold water; a piglet was always easier to take out, however his pride as a fighter wouldn't let him. In the end he figured he'd approach the fight like he did with any other involving Ryoga, try and direct the guy's strength back at him and wear him down over time.

Xian-Pu was running a similar check in her own mind concerning her opponent, being Akane any other day she wouldn't even be that concerned with the brutish girl however that crumb of information from Ukyo was enough for her not to take the violent girl lightly. The problem with her checklist was she had nothing to go on, her training, abilities, and actual standing as a martial artist were all unknowns, something Xian-Pu didn't appreciate, and this was why she was training so hard, for every eventuality.

The addition of Ranma's mid-air combat expertise was much appreciated, mixed with her Chúi she found a lot of merit to the style that even against a grounded opponent could give her a decisive advantage, only time would tell however. The date of the matches was fast approaching with only the rest of the day for the four teens to prepare.

* * *

Ryoga on the other hand had spent the days approaching the two battles with unrequited glee. Having an actual master was incredible, being a self-taught martial artist had certain merits but nothing compared to the advice an onlooker can give. In the first few days Genma had managed to correct some of the lost boy's general sloppiness with attacks giving him a new precision he hadn't before dreamed of.

His main concern was Ranma's Amaguriken, even he couldn't stand up to the sustained attacks Ranma could dish out, nor was he as apt at dodging as his nimble opponent. He understood how Ranma had learned it but for him lacking an eidetic memory, learning it would take far too long to be useful. In the meantime he had developed a devastating attack similar to the Bakusai Tenketsu but using his entire fist, he had given Ranma a glimpse of this attack when he announced the challenge but withheld its full power to use as an ace in the hole.

Immediately under the tutorship of Genma he had found that mid-air combat seriously worked against him, his bulk and general inflexibility meant the contortions his body would have to go through were too much. To this effect he had decided to try and develop a ground-to-air counter to keep Ranma on his level as much as possible, hopefully taking away the pigtailed boy's advantage there.

Another great benefit of his new master was he could carry on what he learned and his generally new good attitude down to his training sessions with Akane which were going surprisingly well. She had taken to his style of teaching with vigour, not having taken off the weighted bands once since he put them on her. He had also decided to follow his own advice and worn similar bands, these ones about five times heavier than Akane's own. He could already feel his strength increasing tremendously and his attacks increasing in power and ferocity. Ranma didn't stand a chance.

* * *

Ranma woke up early, intent on getting in a few hours of training before the fight. There was no problem from sleep deprivation, he always slept amazingly well the night before a match, maybe it was a reflex from his body making sure it was one hundred percent before the number ultimately and drastically reduced itself during the fight. He had offered to extend the same courtesy to Xian-Pu who had politely told him that if he wanted to reach the fight at all he wouldn't even dare wake her up that early.

One thing Ranma had learned was that Xian-Pu was definitely not a morning person. He had found that out the hard way when he accidentally rolled himself, and concurrently her, off of the bed at about four in the morning. She had responded by making him spend the rest of the night on the roof. After that he had been very careful about the way he woke up.

Today he faced the issue of getting his arm out of its position under Xian-Pu's neck. They had taken to sleeping as close together as possible after their night out and she preferred it when he hugged her at night. He didn't mind at all, it was better than the alternative. The first night they tried anything like that Ranma had his arm that wasn't wrapped around Xian-Pu by his side, resulting in a night of discomfort he wouldn't soon forget, there really is no way of getting comfortable with your arm underneath you.

Today he just managed to sneak his arm out from underneath Xian-Pu's neck with the grace and stealth of a ninja. The sleeping girl only barely noticed the drop in warmth from her companion leaving, which he quickly tried to minimize by pulling up the covers on her. He snuck out of the cafe with the same care and soon he was starting his practice, nothing too vigorous, he didn't want to pull anything or tire himself out so early but enough to keep him limber and warm.

After a while he noticed a pair of Xian-Pu's Chúi just sitting around outside. He actually considered bringing them along to the fight with him, that would surely confuse the lost boy. However he reconsidered, bringing an inanimate object to fight somebody who could use the Bakusai Tenketsu was just asking for trouble, at least fighting with his fists Ryoga couldn't blow those up. Instead he just continued his training until the sun finally crested the buildings to the east. He stopped a moment to watch the sunrise, he considered the irony that the sunrise was always most beautiful before a fight.

Xian-Pu awoke with mixed feelings, happiness that Ranma hadn't woken her up when he got up, sadness that he had left all the same and a few other feelings toward today's fight that just sort of mashed together into an unintelligible mess. She figured he'd be practicing for another hour at least, at last that was his normal routine, so she risked going downstairs for breakfast without doing anything to fix her hair.

Unfortunately for her Ranma had smelt the food she prepared from the back garden and had come in, almost cartoon-style and nose-first. She was thankful he didn't pay any attention to her as he set about preparing his own food, the allure of what Xian-Pu had cooked too much for the starving boy. To give Ranma credit he was actually a decent cook, one had to be when on some nights out training all you had to eat was what you could find. Sure he wasn't at Ukyo's, Kodachi's, or Xian-Pu's level of skill but he had enough to get by and keep a happy stomach.

He sat down across from Xian-Pu with some miso soup and rice and had finished it quicker than she had, even though she had a healthy head start. He leaned back; happy that he was full for now, he would have a bit more as fuel when they left for the match but the teen's normally bottomless stomach was full. He stayed that way until Xian-Pu was finished with her own food; she looked a bit more stressed than he did and he of all people knew how stress could affect you in a fight.

"Don't worry Xian-Pu; you've got this fight in the bag." Xian-Pu didn't quite understand the idiom but she got the meaning behind it and smiled.

"Ranma offering to help relieve tension?" Ranma eyed her warily but still with a smile on his face.

"Suuure..." Xian-Pu jumped up.

"Perfect! Ranma can wash Xian-Pu's back like before; that will relieve stress too too good!" Ranma continued giving her a leveled, calculated stare.

"You know what, if it helps, then why not?" Xian-Pu was pleasantly surprised, she hadn't actually expected him to agree but she didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and grabbed his hand, running upstairs with him before he could change his mind. When they got to the bathroom she gracefully allowed him to strip down and get in while she turned around, she didn't want him feeling uncomfortable after all.

He did the same for her, turning in the furo so she could get undressed, she didn't mind him seeing her, quite the opposite but some things Ranma wasn't going to change too soon. She slipped in, enjoying the water lapping away her stress before turning to Ranma.

"Ranma wash Xian-Pu's back?" He nodded, a little bit nervously, after all he was still Ranma, it was taking a good deal of his willpower to prevent his nose from bleeding at the sight of a shiny, wet Xian-Pu just a few inches from him. Like no time at all had passed in the last week Ranma found himself washing her slender back, however this time he was actually focused on the job at hand. For the first time he noticed quite a few old scars adorning Xian-Pu's skin, none that were all that noticeable but a lot of little ones all the same.

He found himself being careful when washing those areas, even though there was no way they could still hurt or even be sensitive. Suddenly Xian-Pu turned around in the bath lightning fast and it wasn't her back Ranma was rubbing any more, his hand immediately shot back but Xian-Pu had decided to capitalize on his momentary shock before he could leave and pounced on him. Their lips met and Ranma's previous objections melted as he pushed back on Xian-Pu, rolling them in the tub until he was on top, kissing her furiously.

He may be hesitant to start but once he did he treated it like anything else in his life, something to get better at and he was determined not to disappoint. He felt her in the water beneath them but didn't focus on that, instead intensifying the kiss, even as he felt a probing tongue from Xian-Pu's end, he retaliated with his own until the two were fighting for superiority. She didn't last long under his continued assault and just allowed him in, the two finally melting into one another as tongue explored mouth and bodies firmly grasped one another.

They both left the bathroom red-cheeked but grinning all the same, both wandering slightly dazed across the landing until they reached their room. Even after that little escapade in the furo Ranma still turned away from Xian-Pu to let her get changed, he himself donned his normal red shirt and loose-fitting black pants, he hated his movements being restricted in a fight.

Much more relaxed and in very high spirits the two left the cafe in the direction of the Tendo dojo, Ryoga hadn't told them where the fight would be happening so they simply assumed it was there. It didn't take them long and soon they were knocking on the dojo door, which a very collected Akane opened up, glowering at Xian-Pu and shooting a smile at Ranma, taking the boy aback. She surprised them by leaving the dojo and motioning for them to follow her.

"We're going to do the matches at the same time in the abandoned lot, there's more room there. I took Ryoga over there earlier, don't worry I told him not to move." Despite Akane's reassurance the two other teens shot each other a look; the aptly named lost boy's reputation preceded him after all. Luckily when they did reach the lot, Ryoga was standing there, not having moved a single muscle in his legs after Akane told him to stay. Genma was also there with Soun and the rest of the Tendo family to cheer on Ryoga and Akane respectively.

Kasumi was looking on pleasantly, not really taking sides whilst Nabiki just looked annoyed at not having been informed about the fights sooner so she could have done it up a bit and made a few yen. The four combatants lined up against their opponents, Ranma and Xian-Pu just looked on in curiosity as four sets of weighted arm and leg-bands dropped to the ground and were pushed away by their previous owners.

Ryoga stared at Ranma, cracking his knuckles in an attempt at intimidation whilst Ranma just grinned goofily back. Akane just stood still, swinging the large metal pole she had brought with her.

"Hey Ranma, have a bit of respect for the fight and lose that stupid grin!" Ranma didn't let up one bit.

"Sorry man, I'm in way to good of a mood." Upset that his intimidation had failed Ryoga decided the pleasantries were over and rushed straight at Ranma, fist pulled back as if he were going in for a punch. Ranma reacted accordingly, dropping back into a defensive stance ready to block or dodge said blow. It was Ryoga's turn to grin confidently as at the last second he diverted the punch into the ground beneath them.

"Bakusai Tenketsu revised!" The two girls who had also been about to launch into their own attacks watched in awe and amazement as a massive explosion ripped through the ground sending boulders the size of basketballs flying straight into the air, the debris carrying Ranma with it, launching him into the air to land painfully back on the ground. He picked himself up and dusted off, that was new, Ranma had one big concern now, Ryoga's fist; it landing anywhere was now bad news for Ranma however he quickly concocted a solution.

Akane took advantage of Xian-Pu's momentary hesitation, having seen Ryoga practice his improved Bakusai Tenketsu before, and charged Xian-Pu who quickly recovered and blocked the first swing of her staff with both her Chúi, she was immediately aware of just how much power had gone into the attack but wasn't allowed to dwell on it as blow after blow came from the strengthened girl. Normally when fighting someone who relied too much on brute force and quick attacks you would block or dodge until a gap appeared in their defense.

However the reach of the staff made dodging impractical and her Chúi, despite being strong weapons in their own right, wouldn't stand up to much more punishment from the weighty metal pole, it must weigh something close to Ryoga's umbrella. Even so Akane was swinging the thing with ease as if it weighed no more than a piece of bamboo which gave her attacks speed enough to cover any minor gaps in her defense, it really was a weapon that suited the violent girl well.

Ranma had adopted a stance Ryoga didn't recognize it didn't look defensive or offensive, however Ranma maintained his cocky grin which infuriated Ranma to no end and not one to give up on an advantage he charged out of the crater he had created and attempted the same move, wary of what Ranma might pull now that he knew. When he drove his fist down Ranma did something strange, he gripped Ryoga's arm and managed to divert his attack in the opposite direction without forcing it, just changing the flow.

With his arm up in the air Ranma launched a full Amaguriken into his exposed mid-section causing Ryoga to drop to one knee after the extended punishment. Ranma tried to finish him with a solid kick to his head but Ryoga grabbed his foot, throwing Ranma a great distance from himself, allowing him some time to recover from the devastating attack.

"What the hell was that Ranma?!" The same grin adorned his mouth as he twisted in the air and touched down on his feet like a cat, the irony was lost on everybody.

"It's called Aikido, look it up!" Meanwhile Akane had continued her unrelenting assault on Xian-Pu who was struggling under the repeated blows, some of which were so ferocious as to leave dents in her Chúi. She never admitted defeat but it was looking increasingly dangerous to be on the receiving end of Akane's attacks. In a move of desperation she brought up her defense with a bit more force, crushing her Chúi but managing to dent the staff into a shape that made it less practical to use.

Both girls discarded their weapons but before Akane could restart her brutal assault of which Xian-Pu did not want to find out about. The Amazon launched into her first offensive of the match. Whilst she was an expert with swords and Chúi the Amazon was still a brilliant hand-to-hand fighter which Akane found out pretty quickly as every hole in her defensive was exploited resulting in a series of nasty shots that were sure to result in large bruises tomorrow.

Ryoga approached Ranma more carefully this time, unsure of how to approach this new fighting style displayed, he wasn't even sure what Aikido was, never mind its benefits or any weaknesses he could exploit. He tried for a series of high-powered punches and kicks, unfortunately this was exactly Ranma was best at as he dodged each attack deftly, and those that breached his defenses he blocked in that same infuriating way that left Ryoga open to a few blows from Ranma's Amaguriken.

Suddenly Ryoga's eyes shot up as he realized what was happening and threw himself violently back from Ranma just as he was about to fire his hand up but leaving him punching empty air. The failed Hiryu Shoten-Ha irritated Ranma and as retaliation he turned on the offensive as he took to the air, intent on raining down a few kicks on Ryoga's thick skull.

Akane found herself in trouble, while Ryoga's training had certainly increased her pain threshold and endurance there was no way she could stand up to the beating coming from Xian-Pu much longer as every small mistake she made was punished and met with an even fiercer attack. For Xian-Pu's part she could feel all the frustrations she had been pushing down for a long time surfacing as she released them all on the blue-haired girl in front of her, unleashing a rain of blows down before flipping over her and delivering a swift kick to the side of Akane's head, downing the girl.

While her opponent was on the floor Xian-Pu unleashed a series of precisely placed kicks to specific points along the girl's spine, sending the girl into unconsciousness. Xian-Pu suddenly felt very tired at the extended beating Akane had delivered on her arms from the immense force she had to block. She gave it to Violent Girl; she had certainly improved vastly in the last week, maybe with further training or a stronger staff she could have done some serious damage to the Amazon, something she wasn't going to admit any time soon.

Ryoga had predicted Ranma's attack and the time training against it paid off as he didn't quite attack but destabilize Ranma in the air before delivering a savage kick straight up into Ranma's exposed side causing the boy to only just manage to land on his feet, severely winded from the blow. Ryoga didn't stop there as he launched into a slower, but more powerful set of attacks that, if any one hit, would immediately knock Ranma out of the fight.

Ranma was finding it more and more difficult to block the vicious attacks raining down on him, he tried to dodge as many as he could but those he was forced to block directly were severe and painful, one nearly breaking his arm in the process. Ranma needed breathing room however as soon as he jumped back away from Ryoga's unending assault Genma spotted his chance.

"Now Ryoga, while I distract him!" As he said it he produced a cat from out of his robes and held it toward Ranma triumphantly. Ranma just looked at the offending animal and screamed, immediately running away just to get away from the terrifying animal. Ryoga looked on, clearly confused at his mentor's actions whilst Xian-Pu immediately hit the old man on the head before taking the cat and hiding it out of sight. Ranma regained his composure and looked at Ryoga furiously.

"You coward! How could you use an underhanded, yellow-bellied, tactic like exploiting a fear?" Before Ryoga could react and defend himself Ranma moved at blinding speeds that seemed to defy reality, disappearing from one place and appearing before Ryoga in a flash.

"What, you think you're the only one who decided to update their moves?" And with that he delivered a solid kick to Ryoga's stomach, except it wasn't one kick, it was several hundred, all directed at that one spot.

"Kashu Tenshin Amaguriken revised!" Ryoga was unconscious before he even hit the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Guess what, I was wrong about the time machine, not about the paradoxes or anything, about the thing itself... turns out it was a toaster... eh what you gonna a do?

* * *

Ranma tapped his unconscious rival with his foot a foot a few times just to be sure, he hadn't meant to go that hard on the guy; he just got a bit carried away. After making sure the lost boy wouldn't wake up and wander off Ranma finally turned on his father. Storming over to him he caught him right before he opened a pot of cold water over himself to pull the 'cute panda' act so he couldn't talk. He grabbed the pot and threw it so hard it crumpled against a nearby wall.

"Oh no you don't!" Ranma was actually holding his father up at this point by the front of his Gi.

"What the hell is going on Pop? You wanna tell me why you're backing Ryoga over your own son? In a match concerning the title of Saotome heir no less?" Genma was struggling with futility to break his son's grasp and execute the Saotome Anything Goes secret move, Fast Break. This was exactly the reason Ranma had gotten the grip in the first place. Eventually Genma stopped struggled, beaten by his son's superior strength.

"Well boy, you know that everything I do for you is just training right? That's the Saotome School of Anything Goes way!" Ranma's fury just grew.

"Oh shove it old man, this wasn't done for me. You were just sore I didn't go along with you this one time, when you were clearly out of it! Do you know what I've suffered under your so called 'training' Pop? You sold me for a fish! I'm afraid of cats! I turn into a girl when wet! I have who knows how many fiancées! I nearly got killed by a vengeful Amazon! I was ripped away from my only childhood friend! And I don't remember my own mother's face!

Tears were actually leaking from Ranma's eyes when he was finished. He was looking at the ground and had put down his father, but he was still maintaining his vice-like grip on the man's Gi.

"You know what old man, fucking keep your damn school! Give it to Ryoga for all I care, I'm done, with it and with you. If after all I've been through you still can doubt my worth as heir then I'm done trying to prove it." He finally released his grip; Ranma didn't swear often, which gave it all the more impact when he did. He didn't look up at his father once, even as he slowly turned away from the man who had raised him for at least fourteen years of his life, all of it that he could remember.

"Ranma-" The murderous glare his son shot at him was enough to make the words catch in Genma's throat.

"If you know what's good for you Genma you won't come see me for a long time!" His son never called him by his name, not in his entire memory had he once uttered the word. It sent ice through his soul to hear it now. He didn't say another word as his son turned away, perhaps for the very last time and took off running, despite his injuries Ranma didn't stop sprinting until he was far away from the man who had done this to him.

* * *

Xian-Pu managed to find Ranma by following the holes punched in various walls through the city. Eventually the trail led up onto a high rooftop where she found Ranma sitting curled up in a fetal position, softly sobbing into his knees. Xian-Pu took in the scene, overwhelmed by the raw emotion she was seeing from her Airen, a side of him she had never seen before.

She approached the crying teen cautiously and quietly until she sat down next to him without a word, silently she put her arm around the boy and pulled him in close to her, still sobbing. He leaned into the intimate embrace but there was no passion, just someone finding comfort in a friend after going through something terrible. They stayed that way until Ranma had nothing left to give, the tears finally drying as he looked up at Xian-Pu.

"Thank you."

"Airen no need thank Xian-Pu, she know Ranma do same thing for her" He gave a meek smile, he wasn't so sure, he would probably try and stop her crying instead of letting her get it out, even if it was hopeless. Even so he knew that he couldn't stand to see Xian-Pu cry, that was what mattered. Honestly Ranma wanted to remain in that embrace for a lot longer but he just couldn't this wasn't him so he pulled himself to his feet, trying to show a strength that wasn't really there.

Xian-Pu followed him up; unsure of the possible act of false resilience her Airen might be putting on. She had gotten to know him quite well in their time together and she knew he always acted tough when in reality he was really just the sixteen year old boy anybody who didn't know him would see. However if Ranma felt he was able to stand on his own two feet for now Xian-Pu definitely wasn't going to be the one to break that newfound confidence.

Hey travelled back to the Cat-Cafe slowly, walking along the streets idly and without real motivation. Xian-Pu would try to ease the mood by pulling Ranma over to shop windows and pointing out cool gadgets or in one she found a selection of high quality weapons, most were just for show but a few were in real working condition. It didn't work, Ranma just glanced at everything she pointed out and smiled without conviction, as one might to humour an insistent child.

Xian-Pu gave up and subconsciously increased her pace so they would get home more quickly, perhaps her Great Grandmother would be able to help. The old woman, despite looking like the picture of indifference, was still her guardian for the majority of Xian-Pu's life and had helped her through some of the hardest points in her life. She was the Amazon matriarch for a reason, the proper combination of strength, intelligence and compassion that made the difference between good and great leaders.

Eventually, and thankfully they did make it back to the Cafe but as soon as they were inside Ranma just continued on through, mumbling briefly about going to train. She followed him out to where he was warming up quickly before launching into a serious of highly complicated kata's right off the bat. It wouldn't have taken a martial arts adept like Xian-Pu to immediately realised he was making mistakes.

This wasn't right, Ranma didn't make mistakes, ever yet here he was, listlessly moving through the motions of his current technique. There was no spirit, no determination, and no conviction. He was simply going through what he had done his whole life, but without his father for direction, what was the real point? It was always his Pop driving him to be better; the one assuring him his life had purpose and reason. Now that was gone Ranma lacked that purpose, his life had lost a good deal of its perceived value, and this fact was showing in every movement Ranma made.

Then with a start Xian-Pu realised what was really bothering her about the way Ranma was moving outside, the twinkle was gone. The small spark in his eyes that showed that someone was doing what they truly loved; Ranma had lost his love of martial arts. Xian-Pu didn't want to ponder the consequences of somebody losing their love of the only thing that was real in their entire existence, nor did she want to see Ranma like that for any longer. She rushed back into the house, fervently calling for Ku-Lon who appeared, completely calm and unfazed by the desperation in her Great Granddaughter's voice.

"What's the matter Xian-Pu? How did your fight go?" Xian-Pu filled the older woman in as quickly as humanly possible, skipping over much of the actual fights to the argument between Ranma and his father. Then she described how he had seemed after the fight and just now outside. Ku-Lon quickly hopped outside to watch Ranma for a bit to assess the situation herself. Ranma paid her no attention as he continued to languidly move through pointless kata after another. Ku-Lon had a genuinely worried look as she returned to the kitchen where Xian-Pu waited anxiously.

"Hmm Xian-Pu I'm afraid it doesn't look good, your fears are correct. Son-in-law has seemed to have lost all purpose in his life." Xian-Pu nearly broke down in tears right there and then, to have Ranma this way for the rest of his life was terrible, to see the strong, confident man he had been turn into a hollow shell of a human being, it was a fate worse than death.

"What can Great Grandmother do?" Ku-Lon gave a heartbreaking look.

"I'm afraid child; there is nothing I can do. What Ranma needs right now is purpose, reason, distractions, but most of all, a goal. Having something to strive for is what made Ranma who he was, now he needs to be reminded that his life has meaning, you need to give him a goal to reach."

"How Xian-Pu supposed to do that?"

"Like I said child, I do not know." It hurt Ku-Lon to be like this to her own blood but to be honest she had seen men wither away into husks from the kind of emotional trauma Ranma had been through, it was only by sheer strength of the boy's will he had managed to get this far. Losing his father might just be the final nail in that coffin. Xian-Pu on the other hand had set her face into grim determination, confident she would do everything in her power to bring back her Airen to the way he used to be.

But what else did Ranma strive for? What else was it that drove him onwards? Martial arts was his life, there had to be something else she could do. There was only one thing right now she could think of, and she prayed the bond was strong enough between them that it would work. She rushed outside as fast as she could, tackling Ranma in the middle of his work out. Now lying on top of the surprised and prone boy she buried her face into his chest and cried, pouring out all the anguish into those few droplets of liquid. The sight of a crying girl did what it always did for Ranma, even in his current state.

"Xian-Pu, please, uh, please don't cry, what's wrong?" Xian-Pu just continued to pour out her heart through her eyes making Ranma increasingly uncomfortable until she raised her head from its position in the boy's chest.

"Please Ranma, Xian-Pu no want to see Airen like this, please snap out of it." Ranma didn't know what Xian-Pu was talking about, sure he was sad but was he really acing that differently.

"Xian-Pu, what are you talking about?" Tears continued dripping from the corner of Xian-Pu's eyes like tiny diamonds.

"Great Grandmother say that Ranma lose purpose, no direction in life and might be like that for whole life, Xian-Pu no want to see Airen like that!" Ranma just thought that was crazy of course he had purp- well he definitely had goa- Huh... Xian-Pu's words started to really worry Ranma, perhaps she was right, maybe he had nothing left to strive for. Without his father's constant encouragement had he lost the reason behind being a martial artist?

Somewhere, in a very deep and very secluded part of the boys mind, something that he had thought he lost forever flickered once, then twice, then flared up like a supernova ripping through the empty space around it, filling him with a new energy. He slowly rose to his feet, pulling up Xian-Pu with him, now with one arm wrapped around her body.

He was Ranma Saotome. It wasn't some stupid panda who had drive him forward through his life, He could have stopped in hundreds of places, stayed with Ukyo, lived a normal life at the school he went to with Ryoga, even settled down in a few places in China where he had received thanks from various deeds he had done for the locals. But no, he carried on because he would become the best martial artist in the world, not because his father pushed him to it.

Maybe in another world, another life he could have been a normal sixteen year old kid, living in Tokyo doing normal teenager things like chasing girls, studying and preparing for his future but this was his life, right here, right now and he would be damned if he wasn't going to make the best of it. He looked down at the girl who had managed to pull him out of the pit of despair and smiled at her, he still marvelled at how beautiful she looked without the smallest hint of make-up.

"Xian-Pu, I'm okay." And to illustrate that exact point he swung her down into a deep kiss that caught her off guard, but completely convinced her he was telling the truth. Ku-Lon watched from the back door as the scene unfolded before her and half laughed and half huffed in contempt.

"Melodromatic nonsense." She hopped back inside, partially sickened by the mushy display and partly warmed by it. She knew it was only a matter of time before somebody like Ranma would regain their will, or at least find new purpose but it didn't hurt to give him a little push in the right direction once in a while, at least indirectly.

* * *

**Author's note: Wrote this whole chapter listening to Hatsune Miku, if you don't know what that is... Find out, you won't regret it**


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I have been informed, not by any secret government branches of military intelligence mind you, to tell you to disregard any information concerning time travel that you may have heard from me.

* * *

Ku-Lon had continued to watch Ranma from afar for the rest of the day, trying to see if his supposed change was genuine. Sure enough when he returned to training, this time with Xian-Pu by his side, some of the old sharpness and skill returned to his movements. It wasn't everything he once was but it was a start, emotional trauma couldn't be fixed in a few minutes after all.

She had seen his type before, thriving under pressure, always wanting to test their limits and boundries and when no such challenge was available they became listless and docile. So what son-in-law needed was a challenge, some test of his skill, the elderly Amazon would have to ponder this further.

Ranma came back in from the garden soaked with sweat; he felt lot better after the serious exercise, when his body was this exhausted his mind didn't have a lot of time to think, so he was a fairly blank slate. It was this blank, but slightly smiling slate that emerged into the kitchen in search of food to quieten his rumbling stomach. While he had been out he decided that without a mentor of his own he was fairly aimless, so he was intent on changing that until he was confident enough that he had nothing left to learn from other people.

He had also realised, after a lot of thought that he knew what his ultimate goal was, to be like Happosai. This was a loose goal; he would do it minus the man's diminutive size and anything but diminutive perversions. But it was the freedom the old pervert possessed that enthralled Ranma, his untouchable nature when focused, his sheer raw power as evidenced by his impressive battle aura. If the old man could do that then Ranma could, and he would be better, without any of the petty distractions that proved to be Happosai's glaring weakness.

It filled him with something, maybe not happiness, but something to realise he still had goals and one of them was approaching him now.

"Elder Cologne, if I could talk with you." That immediately stopped the older woman in her tracks; the boy calling her by her name was one thing, but actually addressing her with her title? Something was up; she nodded in mute astonishment for him to carry on with whatever it was he wanted to ask. "Without a proper mentor I have lost my focus, simply running through the same kata's over and over, I fear my abilities will become stale without anything new to drive me forward. I would appreciate it if you became my official mentor."

Ku-Lon wasn't that surprised Ranma had come to her; she had thought it the next logical step in his training for quite some time now. Of course he could have gone to Happosai, who had much greater skill but then again his father had been trained under Happosai and there would be some obvious problems with that. Ku-Lon also thought with a small chuckle that Ranma probably wouldn't be the best student for Happosai, hardly the spineless sycophant his father or the elder Tendo were.

The real surprise came from the fact that Ranma, despite everything she had done to the boy over the past year, the Cat's Tongue incident, teaching his rivals various techniques and the like, had actually swallowed his pride and come to her for help. To this level of outright commitment there could only be one answer.

"Of course I will Ranma." Then she laughed, it irritated Ranma quite a bit actually. "But I can't believe you haven't realised yet, I've been training you from the moment I arrived here!" Ranma already knew this deep down, after all some of his most powerful moves had come from, both directly and indirectly, Ku-Lon or Xian-Pu. Even Happosai hadn't taught him any actual techniques like his Happo-daikarin.

In fact Ranma had garnered a basic understanding of the firebomb attack over time; he just wasn't stupid enough to use it, far too dangerous to innocents or even himself on occasion. It was the Amaguriken that had become his main fighting tool over the past year and for that reason he had actually long ago forgiven Ku-Lon for the Cat's Tongue incident. He had mostly called the woman names out of reflex or just from her generally irritating attitude.

"Well okay then, when can we _continue _training?" Ku-Lon did her annoying laugh once more before striking Ranma with her staff so hard it sent him flying out into the back-yard.

"Right now Son-in-law" Xian-Pu rushed over to the crater Ranma had created when he landed in the garden. She stopped however when the teen jumped to his feet grinning. He wiped the blood out of the corner of his mouth and charged back into the house, only to fly straight back out again, deepening the same crater.

Her Great Grandmother and Ranma had long since moved their ongoing fight out of the garden and into the rest of Nerima, even now Xian-Pu could hear the distant sounds of chaos coming from the surrounding area. Instead of chasing after the two to find out whatever it was they were fighting about, Xian-Pu decided to treat the afternoon as time off for her. She was mentally exhausted from the emotional ordeal with Ranma and she was even more physically exhausted from the following training.

Instead she drew herself a nice hot bath, slipping into the quiet waters, thinking for the first time in a long time that it was nice to have some time to herself. She spent the rest of the evening pampering herself, something she had realised she neglected over the past few weeks with all the extra commotion. She went out, got a pedicure and manicure, even bought some new clothes out of the money she had earned working in the cafe.

It was really nice to finally do some things that she wanted to do, even if she was left alone in an empty cafe by the end of it. To pass the time before her Great Grandmother and Airen returned she turned on the radio, enjoying the Japanese music that immediately flooded the cafe. She had grown a fondness to the style but her Great grandmother hated it, only really liking more traditional Chinese music.

She also idly flicked through the mail that Ku-Lon had for some reason neglected, a lot of them were notices, bills and the like, stuff for her Great Grandmother to deal with. However one caught her interest, a brightly coloured leaflet advertising a hot-spring resort company doing a publicity race. The prize was a visit to any hot-spring location in the whole world. She thought it might be fun to enter with Ranma; the contest did stipulate pairs and after all Ku-Lon herself had said that what Ranma needed was a challenge.

Thinking about it further Xian-Pu realised something, _any hot-spring in the world..._ She could finally go back to Jusenkyo! When Ranma came back from his fight she was going to have some amazing news for him, tonight was going to be a good night.

* * *

The next week was terrible for Xian-Pu; whilst Ranma had been just as excited at the prospect of being able to go to Jusenkyo it was her Great Grandmother who was the problem. Their training had taken up all of Ranma's free time, between that and working the only time the two of them had alone was when sleeping, even then the ridiculous hours Ku-Lon had Ranma training bit into that time leaving their bed colder for his absence.

At first she attempted to go along on their various training regimes but the learning curve was just too steep for her to keep up. Ranma learnt things at such an astonishing rate it was enough even for Ku-Lon to keep coming up with things just to teach the boy. He took to the various techniques with such determination and ferocity she figured by the time he was twenty he may well be ready to take her on in a fair fight.

Of course the wrinkled woman still had plenty of tricks up her sleeves to keep the advantage in her corner. Ranma was catching on quickly though and wasn't fooled by anything for very long, and never twice. Whilst the old woman had a very diverse and broad knowledge of all martial arts it was the boy's absolute mastery of mid-air combat that proved to be her failing, even with her staff she was hard done by to counter the vicious attacks he could deal out from all angles.

It was even harder hitting the boy when he was in the air, he moved with all the speed and agility that a normal martial artist could on the ground, and with his ability to use any part of his body in the Amaguriken he was quickly becoming a worthy student. It was enough that Xian-Pu wasn't the only one looking forward to the upcoming race, Ku-Lon was seriously looking forward to a break, some time to collect herself and really come up with a training plan best suited to the apt pupil.

If the two won it would be all the better, she would get even longer to prepare whilst they were in China. The Ku-Lon of a few weeks ago would have seized this opportunity to trick the boy into something during their stay in China, perhaps manipulating him into going to Nyuchiehzu while they were there. However she had grown confident in her Great Granddaughter's approach to the situation and left it to her.

Xian-Pu was also having the problem of what to do with herself in all her newfound free time, normally spent training with her Great Grandmother. She was so busy with her new pupil that she had completely neglected her previous one and Ranma was far too tired in the evenings when he flopped into bed to spar with her. That race just couldn't come soon enough, for any of them.

* * *

**Author's Note: Arrrgggghhh... Writing power...failing...need...sustinance...need...REVIEWS!**


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Have you heard about that other anime, 2/1 Amnar by Ihsahakat Okimur... I think it's Iranian.

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There must have been over a hundred couples all milling around at the start line, all varying from average teen couples looking for a good time to die-hard martial arts couples looking for a challenge with the promise of a relaxing weekend. Ranma didn't feel threatened by any of them, with Xian-Pu and all the extra training he had gone through in the last week he was sure they had it in the bag. Anyway, how difficult could a silly publicity race be anyway?

It was strange, he had been sure that at the promise of a return to Jusenkyo that Ryoga would be here, and if he had come then Akane would have come, at least to prevent him from getting lost along the way. Even though the visually challenged boy had been gone for a long time now some small part of him expected Mu-Tzu to show up, proclaiming his love for Xian-Pu and fighting them every step of the way.

For a brief second he wondered who the blind Chinese teen would show up with. Not Xian-Pu obviously, maybe Akane? The thought was laughable, why should she work with Mu-Tzu? Maybe Ukyo? No, she had no reason to go to a hot-spring, not with him anyway. Hmmm, speaking of the Okonomiyaki chef a delicious scent began drawing him away from the crowd of people; he still had ten minutes before the race started anyway.

He rounded a corner, pulling Xian-Pu along with him and as if he had the ability to summon people by thinking their name (an ability it was increasingly apparent he had) he found one of Ukyo's mobile carts where she was merrily serving to many of the race contestants.

"Ranchan!" Ranma smiled at the sight, Xian-Pu wasn't the only one he hadn't seen much of in the past week, even if it was only for a few minutes it would be nice to catch up with Ukyo.

"Hey Ucchan, haven't seen you in a while." She smiled back, still focusing on getting her orders out to customers so she talked in between Okonomiyakis.

"Yeah, I heard about the thing with your father, sorry about that." Ranma's face fell a little but he recovered quickly, Ukyo didn't notice as she handed out another take-away to a customer with a smile. "I guess you're here for the hot-springs trip huh? So who'd you bring?" That was when she caught sight of Xian-Pu who was almost hiding behind Ranma.

"Oh, hey Shampoo" Ranma was confused, there was the cold-edged tone to Ukyo's voice that he thought had gone. He thought something might have happened in the last week but before he could ask either of the girls about it Xian-Pu grabbed his hand.

"Come on Ranma, race start soon, have to go." He gave a grin to Ukyo.

"Well it was good seeing you Ucchan, can I get one of those to go?" She smiled warmly, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that Ranma just couldn't figure out. She quickly whipped up a seafood Okonomiyaki and tossed it to Ranma who deftly caught it out of the air and finally allowed Xian-Pu to pull him back into the anxious crowd of people, all awaiting the start of the race.

"Uh oh" Ranma turned from looking back at Ukyo to see what Xian-Pu was referring to, he wished he hadn't. There, emerging over the hill to the start line was Ryoga and Akane, tied together by a rope, wrapped around each of their wrists. Ranma just laughed.

"Looks like Akane finally found a way to keep that jerk from getting lost." Upon seeing the rope Xian-Pu joined in on his laugh, glad to see her Airen in such a good mood. Ryoga and Akane weren't nearly so happy.

"I should have known you were here Ranma"

"And I should have known you'd be late P-Chan"

"Hey don't call me that!" The two continued arguing, to the point it looked as though it was going to break into physical conflict.

"Shampoo." Akane said it with all the indifference she could muster, however her voice belied her irritation.

"Jealous girl" Xian-Pu on the other hand managed to pull off apathy all too well.

"Hey who are you calling jealous?!" She pulled out her mallet and Xian-Pu her Chúi. The four teens would have erupted in yet another fight if a deafeningly loud announcement hadn't come over the speakers.

"HELLO! AND WELCOME TO ZEKKYO HOT-SPRINGS! HERE IT IS, THE FIRST RULE... TIE YOUR HAND TOWEL AROUND YOUR ANKLES!" Rama just smiled as he tied the cloth around his and Xian-Pu's legs.

"This is going to be too easy."

"AS FOR THE FIRST GOAL, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN THE RAPIDS OVER THERE ON THE LOGS PROVIDED." Ranma's cocky grin was immediately gone and he shared a nervous look with Xian-Pu.

"Rapids..."

"As in water..." They both simultaneously gulped; unaware that Ryoga had done the exact same thing a few feet from them, even as Akane just looked confidently on.

"This is gonna be easy Ryoga!" None of them had time to worry any further as the announcer raised his arm into the air with gun in hand.

"ON YOUR MARKS!" Everybody on the start line bent forward in anticipation. "GET SET!" Some people at the front actually fell over from the jostling behind them. "GO!" Everybody rushed off in a mad dash; flattening countless couples under the stampede of feet that one bullet had created.

Ranma and Xian-Pu built an early lead, their combined fitness, speed, and stamina easily outmatching all the other entrants; however Ryoga and Akane weren't far behind. Akane had only just managed to stop Ryoga from running off in the wrong direction, and subsequently taking her with him due to his superior strength. Now at every turn in the road she was forced to pull him in the right direction as he seemingly chose the exact opposite each and every time. Why he did was beyond her but she was too focused on correcting the mistake to figure it out.

Eventually the quartet reached the river where about twenty logs were floating, chained up to the riverbank. Xian-Pu immediately broke one of the chains with her Chúi and the two jumped on top, using only their pure agility and balance to stay on top on the unstable wood. Ryoga broke off several of the chained logs, using the metal links to bind together a make-shift raft with unbelievable speed. Ryoga may not have had Ranma's balance but there was no way the boy was going to turn into P-Chan in front of Akane.

The bulkier raft quickly caught up to the smaller log and Ranma and Xian-Pu found themselves staving off combined attacks from Ryoga and Akane, the former of which was trying to blow up their log with a Bakusai Tenketsu. Ranma could only hold back that fist for so long before a lucky shot broke through his defences and the log beneath him splintered into a multitude of shrapnel-like shards.

He was forced to flip himself and Xian-Pu up and over the other fighters to land on their raft. On this territory, in a confined space which they couldn't step off, Ryoga held the advantage as Ranma's ability to dodge was severely limited. Behind them, empty logs started rushing by as those who were unsuccessful in staying afloat allowed their transports to carry on down the river.

Now with a bit more room to maneuver Ranma and Xian-Pu hopped from log to log, launching aerial attacks from above on the unsuspecting pair. They moved in perfect tandem thanks to all the extended training they did together before Ranma's harsher regime. The fighting stayed this way for a while until all four combatants started to notice a roaring sound and simultaneously turned in its direction. What they saw horrified them.

Up ahead was a massive waterfall, maybe two hundred feet high, and who knew what else. Ranma noticed Ryoga wasn't looking nearly as nervous as he should have before he noticed the lost boy holding something.

"I knew this would come in handy!" Ryoga called triumphantly holding a steaming thermos high into the air. Seeing his chance Ranma leapt up and over the lost boy, quickly snatching the boiling water from his hands.

"Yoink" Now that Ryoga looked suitably frightened Ranma and Xian-Pu made their move. They hopped across to the farthest log forward and waited for the world to drop out from under them. They heard 'Ranma you jer-' and then the roaring overcame them as they plummeted down on their log. They had to time this next part perfectly as they surveyed the area stretched out beneath them.

It was some kind of lake with similarly shaped and sized stones closely packed together, that would be perfect. Just as their log was about to crash into the water at breakneck speeds they both jumped as high into the air as they could, nullifying their downward momentum before splashing back down gracefully into the water. As soon as Ranma-chan emerged and shot out of the water she doused the thing next to her in the hot water without even looking.

Luckily her aim was true and a very naked Xian-Pu grew out of the cat she had been, in some kind of freak accident her cat form had become tangled inside her shirt but when she changed it was arranged in just the right way to cover her back up. They paid no attention to anything behind them as they hopped on across the rocks, confident that Ryoga at least was dealt with.

Unfortunately they underestimated the lengths to which Ryoga would go to prevent his other half from being revealed. As soon as he and Akane had plunged over the end of the waterfall, now thermos-less, he had started grabbing the falling logs around them right out of the sky. He grasped them and threw them downwards with all his might. The reverse momentum on the logs acted in a way that actually slowed the pair's decent to the point where they touched down quite comfortably atop one of the rocks at the base of the waterfall, only for it to open it scaly, yellow eyes.

The four teens each found themselves fighting the very rocks they were standing on as one after another revealed themselves to be alligators. They spent very little time on each head but just to be safe Ryoga heartily smacked each one they landed on with his feet, leaving a trail of unconscious reptiles in their wake.

All four were panting and severely shocked by the time they reached the other side of the hazardous lake. However one look between the two teams immediately had them full of energy as they rushed on, literally on fumes now. When they approached a massive pit of sand neither team thought twice before rushing across it.

It was only when Ryoga and Akane, with their greater weight, began to sink slowly but surely into the sand that it became apparent what they were running on. It was only Ranma and Xian-Pu's sheer speed that carried them on and over the treacherous sinkhole without sinking an inch. They stopped a moment on the other side, the finish line now in sight, and looked back to where Akane and Ryoga continued to sink into the thickening sand around them.

Ranma hesitated, even as Xian-Pu pulled from her position to move on. He couldn't stand to see Akane drowning in sand like this, he began to move back when he saw Ryoga lift his arm high into the air and bring it straight forward into the wall of sand before him.

"Oh no Ryoga, you aren't going to do that again!" He immediately spun around and took off with all his remaining speed toward the approaching finish line, only for it to move away from them. When they got even nearer they saw a bunch of men, who looked suspiciously like the people organizing the event, pick up the finish line and run away with it in the opposite direction from the speeding pair.

Ranma just wasn't going to lose, not when the stakes were this high. He took one of Xian-Pu's hands eliciting a strange glance from her direction before grabbing the other one quickly. Then, using all the forward momentum they had remaining he stopped on a dime, and spun around once, with Xian-Pu's hands still firmly clasped in his own. After one full revolution he released her like a human shot-put.

She flew through the air, immediately having twigged on what Ranma was doing when he had taken her other hand. With one graceful movement she twisted then brought herself screaming down on top of the fleeing finishing line, and a few startled adjudicators. Ranma caught up to her just as Ryoga and Akane burst from the ground beneath their feet, both of them looking dazed from their ordeal in the sand pit and underground.

Ranma just smiled confidently at them as they themselves realized they had lost and began to walk miserably away. Ryoga felt like he was never going to lose his curse at this rate. They were the exact converse of Ranma and Xian-Pu as one of the braver officials carefully approached the two who had completed their supposedly impossible race.

"Well you two, it seems as though you managed to win our little challenge" He looked on the verge of tears as he continued "You can pick your choice of hot-spring resorts when we get back to Zekkyo." The man was more than surprised when the purple haired girls latched herself onto the red-headed girl and tackled her into a deep kiss. Ranma immediately pulled away from her.

"Shampoo! What are you doing? We're in public, and I'm a girl!" Xian-Pu just looked up, trying to maintain an innocent look but all that came though it was lust and a hint of amusement.

"Xian-Pu no care, she still know Airen boy on inside. Is Ranma confused about sexuality?" Ranma wasn't going to take that sitting down.

"I'll show you confused!" And with that Ranma launched into Xian-Pu with even more enthusiasm that the other girls had. The official left them that way, not wanting to get in the middle of, whatever the hell this was. As he and the other adjudicators moved away he crept closer to one of the others.

"Hey, wasn't that purple-haired girl with a guy earlier?" The other one just looked at him, briefly mind you as for the rest of the time he was intently watching the display going on behind them, with bemusement.

"Who the hell cares man? This is so hot!"

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**Author's Note: Hey you, yeah you... reader! Do you know what happens if you don't review often enough... well neither do I, Let's not find out shall we?**


	17. Chapter 17

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Hey, funny thing, I found out what happens if you don't review and guess what... I die. Yeah, you really want that on your conscience? Didn't think so.

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Ranma was possibly the most bored he had been in his entire life, airports were up there on his list of most time wasting establishments, right behind post offices. It should have been five minutes at check-in then a few minutes to walk to the plane, but no, you had to go through baggage, you had to go through security, you had to go through all the stupid little shops that only sold anything because of tourist wanting last minute souvenirs. It was one big life-draining waste of the young martial artist's time.

He occasionally thought that swimming to China like he did last time would be quicker. Xian-Pu seemed equally dismayed by the stupendously slow flow of the constant lines and gates and checks and everything else that just seemed to stand in the way of you, and your flight. At every step of the way the two teenagers had to constantly remind themselves of what it was all for, the chance for a cure; and in Xian-Pu's case a chance to possibly visit home.

When they finally made it to the flight lounges they though their tortuous ordeal was over, but they were so wrong. At every corner they took another annoying salesperson flogged their cheap wares to the 'couple'. Everything from fancy electronics to saucy lingerie was practically thrown at the two teens until they finally had enough and started temporarily paralyzing anybody coming near them who even remotely looked like they might have something to sell.

It didn't help that the whole confusing complex was a complete maze of white passages and useless travellators that didn't seem to actually lead anywhere. They eventually found a video screen listing all the flights and their times so Xian-Pu dug out the two tickets they had been given and searched along the list of scheduled flights until she found theirs, right at the bottom. She noted with a satisfied nod that they needed to get to Gate Thirty-One, unfortunately when she looked around to see where they were a bright yellow sign on the wall read 'Gate 12'. With a massive groan she also saw that their plane boarded in fifteen minutes.

She relayed all this information to Ranma, even as they began sprinting back in the direction they had come, surprising more than a few flight stewards and tourists. With each passing gate sign they grew faster and faster until with no small amount of relief they finally saw the sign for Gate Thirty. Their challenge wasn't over yet and the airport seemed to mock them as after Gate Thirty there was nothing, just a dead end. They searched around frantically, thinking they might have read the board wrong until Ranma noticed a beat up wooded sign in the corner of the large corridor where he could just about make out the number thirty-one, even if it was cracked and faded.

Triumphantly they approached the associated desk where a bored and sleepy looking female attendant just ushered them straight through the door without even glancing at their tickets. Ranma may have hated the security before but even he thought that was a heinous oversight on the airport's part. That was until he stepped out onto the tarmac and saw the plane.

It was an absolute monstrosity of an eyesore, barely worth being called junk. To be honest it looked as though it had been cobbled together from about four different planes, none of which were the same type. The massive Boeing 747 engine strapped to the top of the thing wasn't at all comforting to the usually hardened martial artist.

"Like hell I'm getting on that hunk of junk!" Xian-Pu looked equally sceptical of the plane's capabilities but she glanced at a passing baggage handler's watch and just tugged his arm.

"Xian-Pu and Airen have no choice, is only way to China!" Ranma continued to resist.

"Yeah, in a body bag!"

"Ranma stop being scared and get on plane!" Once again Xian-Pu used reverse psychology on the easily manipulated boy, she swore that all it took was a few tears and a bit of an ego hit and she could get Ranma to do anything. This of course made the last year of her life all the more confusing as all the facts pointed quite to the contrary, then again there had been quite a few complications back in Nerima to her and her Great-Grandmother's various plans.

Once actually inside the plane Ranma's protests doubled as the sheer flimsy construction of the flying piece of wreckage became painfully obvious. The only seating was a single metal bench that ran the length of the craft, which of course was only enough room for about four medium-sized people.

"This thing is tiny." Xian-Pu, ever the optimist tried to make the best of the situation thrust upon them.

"Xian-Pu think it cozy" Ranma wasn't amused in the slightest.

"And what the hell are we supposed to do on the three hour flight?" Again Xian-Pu smiled her best innocent smile.

"Xian-Pu can think of a few things Airen could do." His look lightened slightly as a bit of red entered his cheeks. However his annoyance and aggravation returned tenfold as an announcement rang out through the tiny speakers that practically hung off the wall by their cables.

"Hello passengers and welcome to Cánhái airlines, this is the automated recording of your captain, we know you had a choice in airlines so thank you for picking us, we hope you enjoy the flight and we hope you reach your destination safely." Ranma's head jerked up.

"Hey what was that last part?!" Xian-Pu was equally worried but she didn't want Ranma to freak out in a small, pressurized container that fairly soon would be a few thousand feet up in the sky.

"Xian-Pu no hear anything weird."

"Um, well aren't they supposed to have a safety briefing or something?" Once again Xian-Pu played innocent.

"Xian-Pu no think so, who stupid enough to not know what you do in airplane crash?" Once again the reverse psychology worked its magic of Ranma's ego and he quieted down before settling down on the bench.

"Well at least the seat is padded." He looked around the plane for a moment. "Oh, and our bags are just over there, that's pretty useful." Xian-Pu looked over to where he pointed and sure enough their two large duffel bags were propped up against the rear wall of the plane. It had been a fight at the check-in desk but they eventually had to relinquish their bags. It was the only way Xian-Pu could get her weapons through security, and that was only after saying they were ornamental and dulled, something she had been going to prove by sliding the blade across her arm before the attendant stopped her.

As they waited for the plane to take of, or alternately fall apart, the two searched their bags, making sure everything was there and nothing had been taken of moved. Xian-Pu was a bit miffed when she found her two Chúi, her katana, and her set of knives all exactly where she had left them, but her bottle of special conditioner had been taken away. Airport officials were certainly strange people.

They didn't have to wait long, a mixed blessing. On one hand they were glad that after all the waiting and queuing they had to do in the terminal that this would at least be quick, on the other hand they weren't really sure the junk heap could take off in the first place. Miraculously after a few minutes of taxiing and a bone-shuddering ride to the end of the runway the Frankenstein's monster of a plane actually took off, albeit shakily, and shakily was putting it lightly.

Ranma was just glad the seatbelts had managed to hold during take-off, considering they were just leather straps with buckles riveted directly into the seat. He had just meant it as an excuse earlier but now he was seriously at a loss for what to do for the remainder of the three hour journey ahead of them. Xian-Pu had brought cards but with the plane shaking about like it was that wasn't really a viable option. Not that playing cards for three hours straight would have been fun anyway.

Ranma lay back in the seat and closed his eyes, willing himself to just fall asleep, however with the rattling of the plane that seemed about as possible as Mu-Tzu actually winning Xian-Pu's heart legitimately. He slumped forward in the chair before ripping off the seatbelt, quite literally, and pacing back and forth in the cramped compartment. Xian-Pu watched him with amusement, having returned to rooting through her backpack.

"If Airen restless Xian-Pu could give massage." Ranma turned on her, his irritation finally overcoming him and was about to berate on how stupid that seemed on an airplane. However when she emerged from her duffel bag holding a cassette player with ear buds and massage oil, looking for all the world completely serious and excited he felt his words melt away as an unintelligible murmur emerged from his mouth, which Xian-Pu took to mean yes.

She pulled off her sleeping mat from on top of her bag and laid it out on the now much more peaceful floor of the airplane. Ranma gingerly lay down on it, still not sure about this at all, that was until Xian-Pu slipped off his shirt and started rubbing the oil on his back. The knots and tension in his muscles that had been building up for what felt like his entire life melted into puddles of pure contentment. Even baths in the most comfortable furo on earth couldn't compare to the feelings he got as Xian-Pu worked his back with her hands, elicited small groans from him.

She placed an ear bud in his ear at some point during the massage and comforting Japanese pop music flowed in one ear as the other was filled with Xian-Pu, happily humming or singing along to the same music, in perfect time. She had an amazing singing voice, whilst her Japanese wasn't perfect she could easily copy the repetitive lyrics in the songs which allowed her to sing along perfectly well with the majority of them. Those that she couldn't she just hummed with but it was no less pleasant on Ranma's ears.

Just as the pigtailed teen felt himself drift off in the comfort of the intimate moment Xian-Pu lightly smacked his back, causing him to roll over in confusion. Xian-Pu giggled and held out the bottle of oil to him.

"Airen have fun? Is Xian-Pu's turn now." Ranma gulped as he awkwardly accepted the bottle. Xian-Pu immediately removed her top before quickly lying down in the exact position he had been in only moments ago, eagerly awaiting him to begin. Nervously he straddled the prone girl, becoming more and more uncomfortable every second. He rubbed a little bit of the oil on his hands, just enough to get them slick but not so much his hands would just slide around.

He was cautious at first, never having performed a massage on anybody before but under the gentle but insistent encouragement of his companion he quickly began to knead the skin before him with a bit more power. He immediately knew he was getting it right as Xian-Pu shuddered with pleasure under his continued touch. He actually found the whole thing to be pretty easy; his hands instinctually sought out areas of greater stress of tension in the muscles and slowly eased it out until he felt confident enough to move onto the next area.

Soon he had Xian-Pu practically purring from his massage, he wasn't sure if it was all him or maybe partly her curse's effect but he did know that it should be making him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't however, he was enjoying himself too much and the happy responses he received from Xian-Pu were no more terrifying than how a cat was to a normal person.

What did surprise, and maybe scare, him a little was when Xian-Pu suddenly twisted in such an unbelievable way that she was suddenly facing him with only one flex of her body. Ranma had barely any time to even look before she sprang on him, locking him deep into a passionate kiss which threw him so off guard that he actually fell back onto the hard metallic floor of the pane and banged his head.

That wasn't going to deter either of them as they returned to the embrace. Hands started to roam across naked backs as the two remained stuck together at the lips, each one fighting their own war for dominance with their tongues. Ranma rolled the pair over until he was once again straddling the half-naked Amazon. He barely had time to contemplate the compromising position he was now in as he dived back down to continue their intimate session. However in the maneuver of turning the two over his hand had somehow found itself on something that definitely wasn't Xian-Pu's shoulder.

Ranma surprised even himself when he didn't remove said hand, he didn't do anything with it but it stayed exactly where it was until Xian-Pu decided to move their combined forms once more. She somehow managed to lever them into a semi-standing position where Ranma, on instinct, took over and lifted up Xian-Pu, his arms now looped underneath her and her legs now wrapped around his waist. Their lips hadn't parted for a second during this entire exchange and it was only now Ranma realized he needed some oxygen.

They both parted from their sensual struggle and gasped at each other, still managing to grin wildly as Xian-Pu unconsciously flicked a few strands of hair out of her eyes that had been set loose by their rolling around.

They were just about to return to their fun when a violent buckle sent them sprawling in an uncomfortable but laughing mess, side-by-side on the floor. Xian-Pu yawned whilst looking at Ranma with a look of victory sparkling in her eyes. Ranma too felt the warm tug of sleep begin pulling at the corners of his vision. With his last waking thoughts he grabbed the blanket out of his bag, pulled Xian-Pu in close and wrapped them both up before the two succumbed to the exhaustion that had been threatening them for some time now.

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For a sleep that had started perfectly, there were few awakenings that could have been worse than suddenly finding yourself and the girls wrapped up in your arms thrown violently into the ceiling of the crashing airplane you just happened to be in. Once they had dropped back down into a tangled sprawl ion the floor and subsequently detangled themselves from one another, they found the cabin bathed in an eerie red light that only spoke of warnings and danger.

However they were a bit more focused on the sounds of the engines around them failing and machinery they couldn't see exploding, which they could however feel as the plane rocked back and forth between powerful explosions from all sides. Ranma immediately rushed forward and pulled open the cockpit door to find out what was happening only to find a bank of complicated electronics and a flashing screen stating 'Auto-pilot failure, crash imminent'.

"What the hell, there was no pilot?!" He searched frantically for anything, a button of a lever that might correct whatever had gone wrong. Unfortunately he lacked even a beginners understanding of what he was contemplating doing. Instead he did something he knew he could do well, act impulsively.

Sprinting back into the cabin a plan was forming in his mind, it may not have been a very good one but it was a plan and that was a start. There was no time to pack their stuff back into their bags so he grabbed a length of rope out of one, slung them over his back and rushed over to Xian-Pu. He wrapped the rope around her waist first, then the other end around his own, leaving about ten feet of slack between them. He looked into her eyes and shouted above the roar of the plane.

"Do you trust me?" Xian-Pu looked back with the same intensity.

"With Xian-Pu's life!"

"Then I'm so sorry!" But before Xian-Pu could even look confused he had touched a point on the wall of the plane, immediately creating a gaping hole through which the pair was violently sucked out of. The both twisted through the air, even as they saw the wreckage of their plane start to splinter off in the sky, it would have been cool to watch if they weren't hurdling toward their deaths. Now, before he ran out of time, Ranma had to put into motion the next part of his plan, he was going to hate this.

"SHAMPOO!" His voice only just reached her over the roar of the winds they were passing through.

"RANMA?"

"I DON'T LOVE YOU!" Those three little words, even when screamed in a fall to their deaths shattered Xian-Pu's heart like the trailing remains of their airplane. "I CAN NEVER LOVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU, YOU AIR-HEADED, CLINGY, ANNOYING BIMBO!" Xian-Pu couldn't believe what she was hearing, they were falling, probably to their deaths and this is what Ranma was saying? This is what he wanted her to feel before she died? How dare he!

Ranma noted as a slight red aura visibly built up around Xian-Pu's body, now that it was working he started the next part of his plan, slowly using the velocity of their fall and the tension in the rope between them to start twisting them about in the air until their two bodies began forming a circle.

"HOW COULD I EVER LOVE SOMEONE WHO ONLY WANTS ME BECAUSE OF SOME BACKWARD VILLAGE LAW!?" The aura grew stronger even as Ranma's grew cold and heavy. Each accusation hurt him as much as it did her but he couldn't focus on that right now, even as he thought the ground drew closer and he had less and less time. The circular motion he was creating in the air quickly became a decaying spiral as he tugged on the rope between them, drawing them closer, even as they spun.

"YOU AREN'T EVEN CUTE! YOUR HAIR IS STUPID AND ALL I SEE WHEN I LOOK AT YOU IS A CAT!" The two were now only a foot away from each other and Xian-Pu's battle aura had grown to the point its edges began touching Ranma's body, filling him with needle-like electric shocks. Xian-Pu drew her hand back as anger filled her up and she brought it down on Ranma's face in an almighty slap even as Ranma quietly whispered, but loud enough that Xian-Pu heard it.

"Hiryu Shoten-Ha, revised."

As soon as Xian-Pu's hand connected with the soft flesh of Ranma's cheek their hot and cold Ki's merged and savage winds explode outwards from that point of contact. Immediately their fall was slowed as winds ravaged them from all sides, including beneath them as they rode out the worst of it in its eye. The whirlwind was just powerful enough to slow down their near terminal fall to something tolerable, it was going to hurt, but they weren't going to die.

It was that confident thought that passed through Ranma's head as something cracked painfully into his ribs and his world went black.


	18. Chapter 18

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Or do I- Wait, serious déjà vu here, what the frack is going on?!

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"Ow"

That was just about the upper limit of Ranma's comprehensive ability to form sentences as he felt the darkness retreat from his senses and be replaced by blinding white light. Clamping his eyes shut didn't do anything either, the light barely lost any intensity. After a while though even that faded away, unlike the dull throbbing pain coming from a variety of places across his body.

He had the strangest sensation of floating except at the same time he could definitely feel air brushing past his skin and something solid digging into his stomach. It was only after he opened his eyes, this time to a much less intimidating light, that he discovered where he was. His freshly opened eyes were treated to the sight of the ground, except he wasn't lying on it; he was suspended a good ten feet above it.

The thing digging into his stomach was a rope; he tried to crane his neck to see where the other end was but his neck screamed at him to not do exactly that. He did however manage to catch a glimpse at the few broken branches and disrupted foliage that was the only reasonable explanation for his continued existence. He thought that tree branches only broke people's falls in movies or comic books but he guessed there was some truth behind the fantasies.

He suddenly remembered he did have bags with him, and sure enough on the forest floor below him were two duffel bags, one of which had split open, leaving camping equipment strewn across the grass and leaves. He marvelled at the amount of equipment he had brought with him, there was almost enough stuff for an entire other person, now why would he bring all this extra equipment? After a few agonisingly slow moments of total incomprehension Ranma flicked his head up as he remembered his other companion.

"Shampoo!"

There was a dulled groan from somewhere to his left but as he tried to swivel around to get a better look at its source he must have upset the tree they were dangling from. There was an even greater, inhuman groan from above him before an even louder crack announced his impromptu meeting with the floor. If he had thought his body ached before he regretted it, the drop and subsequent crash had managed to bring to the surface all the dormant aches and pains that managed to dull down whilst he was unconscious.

All he could do for a few moments after impact was roll around, writhing in agony just waiting for the pain to die down to tolerable levels. As a martial artist he was used to his fair share of pain from broken bones, sprains, and cracked ribs but one could only bear so much. Thanks to his increased pain threshold it was only a few minutes before he gained a right state of mind once again and was asking the same question as before.

"Shampoo?"

It came out pathetically weak and hoarse and it was all he could manage not to shout it out again before a violent coughing fit caught him off guard. Each cough was like a bullet, wracking his body and agitating everything that was bruised or broken. He was forced to roll again except this time his body brushed up against something that definitely wasn't foliage. Upon further inspection he found that it was his duffel bag and he thankfully pulled out the medical kit they had been lucky enough to not have lost before their unscheduled halo jump.

Once he had shot himself full of handy dandy morphine, how that got through airport security was beyond him, and dulled the pain he began searching for Xian-Pu with a bit more vigour. It wasn't hard; after all they were connected by a rope. Once again his ability to think on his feet astounded him. Sure it wasn't the softest of landings but it sure as hell beat the alternative. He followed the thick rope until he found it wrapped around the limp form of a teenage girl.

Her hair was a mess and her exposed skin was cut in a number of places thanks to jagged branches on their way down, nothing too deep but there was a lot of blood. He wondered if he looked like that but didn't have time to ponder as he rolled Xian-Pu onto her back and checked to be sure she was still breathing. It was slow and erratic but once again it was better than nothing. She had a large black eye but other than that she had somehow managed to shield her face from the majority of damage, as evidenced by the increased cuts on her forearms.

He recalled what little his father had taught him about first aid and pulled Xian-Pu over to a nearby tree, despite the loud protests from his muscles. He propped her up and slumped down next to her, he wished he knew the pressure point to bring people out of unconsciousness, then he could properly evaluate how badly hurt Xian-Pu was. As it was all he could do was sit and wait, however Fate would not be so accommodating as thunder sounded not too far away.

Ranma was forced to his feet once again as he was forced to build a makeshift shelter. He couldn't have Xian-Pu turn into a cat only for him to run off screaming and leave her alone, in a strange forest, in this condition. He just finished tying the blanket to the four closest trees above them and propping it up with a sturdy stick he placed in a small hole he dug before the rain started coming down in sheets.

He crossed his fingers but the shelter held, stopping any water from reaching Xian-Pu's unconscious body. He sorely wanted to wake the girl up but didn't have a clue how, throwing water on her was certainly out of the question, and maybe there was a more peaceful way. His stomach grumbled as if in agreement so he pulled out their cooking pot and built a small fire from the few bits of dry wood he had collected before the rain.

Water wasn't a problem, he just held the pot outside for a little bit, he didn't mind being a girl if it meant he could eat and anyway, him being a girl wasn't going to make Xian-Pu run way screaming. He quickly threw a few vegetables into the now boiling water and continued in this fashion until he had a healthy soup slowly cooking away in front of him. Predictably as the food continued to simmer, Xian-Pu's nose started twitching even as she was unconscious.

After a few more minutes Xian-Pu's eyes blearily opened, much to Ranma's delight and relief. She rolled her neck once before wearily glancing around herself, when she saw Ranma she did a double take, she may have even stood up if her body wasn't in such bad condition. She continued staring at Ranma with a mixture of hostility and wariness, much to Ranma's surprise.

"Shampoo, are you alright?"

"Zhè shì zěnme huí shì ne? Wǒ zài nǎlǐ? Wèishéme wǒ zài tòngkǔ zhōng ne? Hēi, nǐ zàiwài rén yǎn lǐ wǒ yīzhí zhuī de nǚhái!" The first stream of questions completely went over Ranma's head but the last one was an exclamation, that much he could tell.

"Shampoo, calm down and speak Japanese, I can't understand you." She continued to give him an uneasy glare that radiated discomfort and aggression.

"Where Xian-Pu? Why hurt? What outside girl do here?" Her Japanese had become even more fragmented and broken than usual.

"What are you talking about Shampoo, it's me Ranma!"

"Ran-ma?" She sounded the word out as if she had never spoken it before. Ranma began to worry; he had seen exactly what was going on her once before, when Akane had had her memory wiped by Xian-Pu's special shampoo. That meant he had to do something to jar the memories back.

"Yeah, Ranma!" And with that he took the still cooking soup and poured a little over his head, triggering the curse and leaving the girl in front of him more than a little shocked.

"Girl, boy now!" Ranma rolled his eyes, he had hoped that would be enough but he now saw there was only one option here. He placed the soup back on the fire and painfully crawled over to where Xian-Pu was sat. She seemed cautious of the movement but after seeing his weakened state she realised there was no intent to harm in the action; nevertheless she eyed the approaching boy warily.

He made a move as if he were going to sit down next to her but with all the speed he could manage in his bruised and batter state he jumped toward the girl and firmly locked her in a deep kiss. She fought back at first but suddenly found herself being drawn into the embrace with the strange boy-girl, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She returned the kiss, their tongues dancing around in a way that was completely foreign yet surprisingly familiar to the girl. At some point her eyes open wide, a grain of comprehension returning as the past years events flooded back to her.

Ranma was smacked incredibly hard across the cheek which was enough to break their kiss. He stared back up from the floor at Xian-Pu. He then looked down in misery, he thought it had been working when she returned the kiss but it seemed as though he had failed. Maybe she would never get her memory back.

"What you doing Ranma!" Wait, she had used his name, and there was familiarity in the words, maybe he hadn't gotten it wrong.

"What do you mean?"

"After all bad things you say about Xian-Pu you think you can just kiss and all go away?" He looked up, realising what she was talking about.

"Shampoo, I didn't mean any of that! I just needed to get you angry!" She looked at him stubbornly.

"Well it worked, Xian-Pu very angry with Ranma!" She tried to huff and turn away from him but her body wouldn't allow it, causing her to wince.

"No, Shampoo I needed your Ki hot to create the whirlwind so I could save us both." Understanding finally started reaching Xian-Pu as she thought very hard about just how they had gotten to where they were without their bodies smashing open like eggs.

"Ranma no mean nasty things about Xian-Pu?" The hostility was now gone, there was genuine hopefulness and sincerity behind the question.

"Of course not! Why would I say things like that?" When no answer came to the still shocked teenager she slumped back on the tree in relief, but not before her stomach loudly protested.

"Ranma make up for nasty words by feeding Xian-Pu." She partially wanted to test whether he was honest or not but it was mostly due to her being barely able to move without pain lancing up her limbs and across her chest. Ranma realised this and produced another syringe of Morphine which he quickly applied to the suffering girl. It took the edge off but she was a long way from not feeling anything right now.

Ranma was happy to comply with the simple request, with the state Xian-Pu was in he would have probably ended up doing it anyway but he was glad to be able to earn back her trust simultaneously. The horrible words had hurt him almost as much as they had hurt Xian-Pu but at the time he considered it a necessary evil. It wasn't too hard though, all he had to do was careful bring the spoon of soup over to Xian-Pu's mouth where she would take a ling sip.

They went back and forth like this, with Ranma taking a sip then bringing the spoon over to Xian-Pu who would also drink greedily from the delicious soup. Soon the food was gone but they continued to enjoy the warmth of the fire which hadn't gone out yet. Xian-Pu allowed Ranma to sit down next to her after he grabbed a blanket and they both curled up together by the heat of the fire, both doing their best to stave off the cold before the morphine in their systems first took Ranma, then soon after Xian-Pu.

Ranma fell asleep propped up against the tree with Xian-Pu's head resting on his shoulder, neither dreamed that night and soon after the fire finally burnt itself out the two drew even closer to one another. Rain continued to pour long into the night but the shelter held and the two were undisturbed from the moment they fell asleep to the moment they both awakened, still wrapped tightly in each other's arms.


	19. Chapter 19

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Did you know that... Um, well what about that fact that... Huh, guess I don't know anything to tell you.

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The two teens awoke to a myriad of stiff limbs, aching muscles, and general discomfort. It was almost a good thing it was still tipping it down outside the confines of their shelter or they might have found an excuse to start moving. As it was they were still figuratively trapped by the sheets of cold water still falling from the sky. Ranma might have been worried that Xian-Pu was acting frosty toward him if 'frosty' for Xian-Pu wasn't just less cuddling.

There wasn't a lot for them to do to pass the time as the rain kept falling, not letting up for a second. Ranma was starting to get a crick from sitting up against the tree all night so he got up. It was difficult and his body protested but that had never really stopped him before. He helped up Xian-Pu so that she could also stretch her legs. It was blatantly obvious that of the two she was worse off so Ranma did everything he could to take the load off of her, even when it came to lunch the ravenous boy gave her the larger share of the food.

The little gestures like tucking in her blanket to stave off the cold and getting up to get anything she needed from the bags did not go unnoticed by the Chinese girl and by mid-afternoon she had completely forgiven Ranma. That wasn't to say she stopped him from doing these things, after all it was always good to be waited on, especially by somebody you loved. Ranma actually didn't mind by this point, all the walking and moving around had loosened up his body, easing a lot of the pain he had been feeling throughout the day.

After dinner they were completely out of food so they did the only thing they could and snuggled up close to the now considerably smaller fire. It was large enough to get them through the night but if morning came and the rain hadn't moved on they would be in trouble. They chatted for a while, about nothing in particular, both of them avoiding the subject of home or Nerima. Eventually they ended the day the same way it began, in each other's arms, however they made sure they fell asleep in a considerably more comfortable position.

* * *

Xian-Pu woke up first after Ranma nudged into one of her worse injuries in his sleep. She still had a smile on her face from a dream she couldn't quite remember, it was always that way with her, as soon as her eyes opened whatever was on her mind slipped away. At least it seemed as though she dreamt something nice. It wasn't surprising seeing as her Airen was so close to her, she could have moved his arm that was draped over her chest away but she chose to pull him closer.

She still wasn't quite used to the feeling of waking up with somebody next to her, of course it was what she had wanted all along but that didn't make it any less strange. The extra warmth on one side and the comfort of a strong protective arm around her body had no comparison. Even Ranma's warm breath softly rolling across her neck as he steadily breathed in and out had a comforting, albeit strange, effect on her.

She lay there subtlety until he too finally awoke, she didn't mind, it wasn't long but she probably wouldn't have cared if it had been longer. She loved this moment, Ranma awoke with the veil of sleep still across his mind and instinctively hugged closer to the warm object he was holding, to which Xian-Pu hugged back. Usually after this Ranma would realise what he was doing and recoil but today, with his injuries and not wanting to risk hurting her he just continued to lie there, not moving his arm for another five minutes.

However once he realised that the rain had stopped he happily got to his feet, also cheerful that his wounds were much better today. Xian-Pu also reluctantly got to her feet and began aiding Ranma in cooking the very last scraps of their food. The tiny amount of meat and vegetables in their ramshackle soup really was pitiful. With a lot more energy than the two should have been able to muster they cleaned up and packed up their respective gear.

Ranma offered to carry both duffel bags, firstly because Xian-Pu wouldn't have made it very far with the extra weight and secondly it was a good way to rebuild his lost strength after a day and a half of inactivity. With almost two days without any training Ranma was almost itching with energy and had to nearly be stopped before he ran off.

The two set off with a lot of energy but after the initial excitement from finally moving wore off and the endless Chinese countryside began to all blur into one big green and brown mass they quickly grew tired of it. It was far too long before they happened on a rough dirt track which they then followed. Ranma had been more than happy to take the two bags but after a while his shoulder's burned from the strain and he wished he had Ryoga's unlimited strength and endurance.

As it was he did what he did best and quietly endured, it made it all the sweeter when they spotted a small town not too far off from a hill they crested. When they approached, they saw it was old and fairly run down but there was the hustle and bustle of daily life and that was good enough for the two tired and hungry teens. It was about mid-afternoon when they did actually walk through the town gates but the sun beating down overhead only made them want to find somewhere to stay quicker.

If the local villagers were surprised to see an injured Amazon and an equally beat up Japanese boy in Chinese clothing they didn't show it. Ranma wondered if this place was anything like Nerima where the residents had slowly grown accustomed to the various strange sights they saw day in and day out. They looked around a while, with Xian-Pu asking directions as they went until they were pointed in the direction of a small farm with an even smaller barn somehow standing next to it despite it practically rotten frame.

Ranma let Xian-Pu do the talking as she conversed with the elderly farmer. He was actually surprised to see how well the Chinese flow from Xian-Pu and how animated she was in the conversation. It was easy for him to forget that Xian-Pu was actually very intelligent, her broken Japanese only creating an illusion of dimness. From the direction the conversation was going, at least based off of their tones, Ranma could tell it was going well. Sure enough the man nodded toward the barn and Xian-Pu thanked him, at least that's what Ranma thought she said.

They took the small bundle of supplies supplied by the elderly man and settled down in the run-down barn. They had to share with a large ox but the two weren't complaining, as long as they had a roof over their head and somewhere they could hunker down with each other for warmth they would be fine. It was a bit early for them to be sleepy so they built up a large pile of hay in the corner of the barn and climbed to the top. It was the comfiest they had been since the plane crash and it took all they had to not fall asleep then and there, however getting up so early in the morning would be counter-productive as they couldn't leave until it was light anyway.

They were content to just stare up at the ceiling for a while, each with their own thoughts, until Ranma turned himself to face Xian-Pu, a lot more difficult than it sounds on a large pile of loose hay.

"Hey Shampoo, seeing as we're going to be in China anyway and we'll have some free time, could you teach me some Chinese?" Xian-Pu was startled but not overtly surprised by the request, she was surprised that he hadn't learnt some of her language sooner considering the time he had spent there. Then again a lot of his time was either spent training or running from her. She didn't think that, even with her Japanese the way it was, it would be too hard to teach Ranma a few phrases that might help him get by.

"Okay, you want start now?" Ranma nodded, smiling at the chance of finally doing something.

"Well you know Nihao" She grinned widely whilst she said it "Nihao ma is how are you, wo henhau is I'm fine." She continued on in this fashion for a while. Occasionally Ranma would clarify the pronunciation of a word or two but otherwise he just nodded along to her list of useful phrases. She came to a stop and decided to test what he had learnt. She asked a few questions in Chinese and was immensely proud as Ranma shakily answered her in patchy, but understandable Chinese. He corrected his pronunciation on a few words and she showed him how the grammar of certain sentences worked.

Honestly she was astonished at his uptake; she would have to find him someone who spoke both Chinese and Japanese fluently. At the rate he could learn he might be completely fluent in a month or two. It would be amazing to have conversations with her Airen without the language barrier massing up her meanings or him thinking she was dumb just because she couldn't articulate her points.

They continued talking in Chinese until the sun finally set, they literally continued their usual idle conversation, and anything Ranma didn't know how to say he would ask about before almost seamlessly using it in real conversation. It was almost strange to hear Ranma talk in such laboured, static Chinese, was this how she sounded to him all the time? As the night finally came Ranma grew more ambitious and confident with the language, making more mistakes but managing to impress Xian-Pu all the more. Understanding her became less difficult as actually speaking the language grew easier.

Despite Ranma's enthusiasm they had to bring their cross-cultural exchange to a close as weariness set in. It wouldn't do for them to set off tired in the morning, Xian-Pu knew they were at least two days from Jusenkyo in their current position so they had to gather their strength, there were no villages between them and their prize. Sleep came and the two curled up in their usual manner, except this time there was a third member of their party.

The Ox, which had at first been wary of the intruders to its home, had slowly grown used to the strange couple actively chatting away in the corner of its barn. While they had talked it had stood up and sidled over to them, instinctively moving toward other sources of heat. By the time the two teenagers were ready to doze off it was close enough that they could use its strong, furry flank as a makeshift pillow, something the stoic beast didn't mind one bit as it enjoyed the rare company.

* * *

Their wake-up was far from the peaceful one the two had imagined drifting off to sleep. Instead of gentle sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden boards above them and the natural sounds of the wildlife, they were instead treated to the not-so-subtle grumble of a large crowd. They could both hear a lot of footsteps drawing closer to the barn from the direction of the village. Xian-Pu was up in a flash, a surprising move for someone so injured but nonetheless she was up, about, and packing away their things. Ranma just looked on curiously.

"Shampoo, what's going on? Why are you packing?" For all the progress the pigtailed boy had made last night he still couldn't pronounce her name correctly, maybe she could treat it like a pet name, it was kind of cute. She smiled sheepishly in his direction, something the now more alert boy did not find comforting.

"We go now, no time to explain, tell Airen later." The insistent tone managed to rouse Ranma; they both grabbed a bag, apparently Xian-Pu was feeling better this morning, and made their way out of the barn through a hole in the rotting wood. Ranma shot a final farewell wave to the dozy ox who looked equally annoyed at being woken in such a manner. As the two jogged away from the old farm and in the direction that Xian-Pu hoped was correct, Ranma looked back and saw a sizable crowd of irritated-looking townsfolk, all armed with a variety of household weaponry.

As much as he wanted a test of his skill after a while without any training or challenges he wasn't stupid or suicidal. There was no way he could take on such a crowd in his condition, nor could Xian-Pu provide adequate back-up. He returned to running away, something he wasn't proud of but as an actual part of the Saotome School, he could live with it.

They didn't stop jogging until they had put a few kilometres between themselves and any villagers, they hadn't told anybody where they were going but it never hurt to be safe. They took cover under a cluster of willow trees to catch their breath and that's where Ranma finally started questioning Xian-Pu.

"So what was all that about? Why did we have to run away?" Xian-Pu gave him the same sheepish smile but there was no convenient angry mob to save her this time so she sighed and tried to explain.

"Farmer no happy to see Amazon in village, we usually bring bad luck and violence where we go. I try to explain I no with Amazon's anymore but he recognise Chúi and tell us to leave. We need rest so I be more insistent." The way she stressed the word made it obvious she meant threatening.

"But I thought you guys came to an arrangement or something, you didn't raise your voices or nothing."

"I tell farmer not to act like we argue so you no get curious, Xian-Pu sorry for deceiving Airen but it only way to get safe shelter." Whilst she was right Ranma still wasn't happy about it, after all they had managed two days out in the wilderness. It had left them worse for wear but it was really the principle behind it. Xian-Pu did genuinely look sorry for what she had done and at this point there really was no point in holding grudges. If she could forgive him for what he had done to get her angry he could do the same for this. In his best Chinese he managed.

"_It's alright Xian-Pu, you did what you thought was necessary."_ She smiled and he let her come in for a small hug before the two slung their packs over their shoulders and continued in the direction Xian-Pu was certain Jusenkyo lay in. Her local geography was a bit rough but she knew it was somewhere north of their position, she had recognised the name of the village from when her Great-grandmother had tried to teach her the local area around Nyuchiehzu, which she knew was somewhere to the North-East of here.

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**Author's note: Reviews are starting to slow down again people; do I need to start hitting you all with my inter-dimensional hammer? Don't think I won't**.


	20. Chapter 20

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Okay this time I definitely have something to tell you, it all started when... Aw crap, I HAD IT!

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Xian-Pu had been a bit optimistic about their travel time; it actually took them four whole days and nights to cross the various fields and farms that made up the Chinese countryside. When they needed to sleep, they slept, when they needed to eat, they ate and all the while Ranma's language lessons progressed. By the end of their journey he was just about as proficient in the language as Xian-Pu was in Japanese, making her giggle every time he spoke the fractured language, until he reminded her that was exactly how she sounded to him.

Some people find that extended time alone with another individual will drive the two apart, quite the opposite here. The two teenagers only grew closer as they travelled and their wounds healed. Thanks to their martial arts backgrounds and the extensive damage and injuries that came with the training, their bodies healed up much quicker than the average human and by the time they were within a few hundred metres of Jusenkyo they were both almost back to their full potentials.

They made sure to set aside at least two hours a day for exercise and training in order to keep their skills sharp, it was usually before dinner so they could replenish their energy. They had lost one of the sleeping bags on the plane so now they had to share; Ranma didn't actually mind at this point, it was amazing what familiarity and recurrence could do to one's inhibitions. They now slept quite happily together with Ranma always taking the dominant place with his arm around Xian-Pu's neck and waist, where they were both comfiest.

Bathing was always a problem, to heat enough water for a hot bath or shower was highly impractical so Ranma left hot water in their campsite when Xian-Pu went for a bath in nearby rivers or lakes. He would go for a walk, she would bathe and then in cat form would return and douse herself in the warm water. To her it was a shame, she sorely missed her furo sessions with Ranma but if there was no way, there was no way. The sooner she could get her curse removed, the better it would be for their relationship.

Ranma had equally positive thoughts about his own degrading curse, of course it was good to get free food and to convince people to do things for him, but in the long run it was a nightmare. He always figured there was some kind of hidden clause in the curses, in that one such cursed person would forever be a magnet for cold water, and sometimes hot water in the situation was inappropriate. To be free of that ever present uncertainty whether or not he could actually stay a guy for just one day would be a blessing.

They sprinted over the hill that blocked their path to the land of cursed springs and were about to cheer, hugging each other when they saw they had made it. However when they looked closer they realised with no small amount of horror that something was wrong. They couldn't see any springs, the entire area was completely flooded and the only thing that showed the area wasn't just an inland lake were the bamboo poles that stuck out of the water occasionally.

If Ranma wasn't so strong he might have collapsed and cried right there on the spot, as it was Xian-Pu sank to her knees, all the strength leaving her body. He helped her up and they made their way, miserably, over to the small cottage just to the right of the training ground entrance. They both spotted a familiar figure that had occasionally haunted their dreams, the Jusenkyo guide was quietly smoking a pipe and reading through a book in a chair outside his house overlooking what was once the springs. He noticed the abject pair and immediately placed both the book and pipe down and jogged with some effort over to them.

"Honoured guests, please may I welcome you to Jusenkyo training ground, I'm afraid you pick too too bad time to visit, we have problems with flooding, springs mix, very bad." Even as Ranma talked he stared at his shattered dreams, taken form in the clear swirling liquid to his left.

"W-What happened?" The guide looked wearily toward the springs-turned-lake.

"Is very tragic story, weather go crazy few days ago, some people say tornado cause storm, we get much rain and springs flood. Now cursed waters mix and results of submersion become unpredictable." It was Ranma's turn to sink to his knees, a gesture the Guide had seen all too much in the last few days. Curse victims finally finding their way back to the training ground only to discover their hopes of a cure were gone. The guide figured these were two such people and looked closer, trying to figure out where he had seen them.

"Aiyah, you boy who fall into Nannichuan, spring of drowned young girl, you here with man who fall in Shonmaonichuan. And you girl who get knocked into Maonichuan, spring of drowned cat, by great grandmother, both very tragic stories. Don't worry honoured guests, this not first time springs flood, they usually go back to normal in two or three weeks, the curse in pool, not water." The guide suddenly found himself in a joint hug from two very happy teenagers.

"So you say if Xian-Pu and Airen come back in two weeks, we can get cured?"

"Oh yes, have seen many many people cured of curses before, also seen many people mix curse but if you use Nyannichuan and boy use Nannichuan waters, you cured, almost guaranteed" The tow barely heard the last part as they jumped up and down in joy, this was it, a guarantee they could finally be rid of the girl and cat. Ranma stopped jumping and flopped down on the grass where Xian-Pu joined him, he had a massive smile plastered across his face, this was possibly the happiest he had been for months, then he sat up with a start.

"Two weeks! What the heck are we going to do for two weeks?" Xian-Pu had secretly hoped he would ask that question.

"We could go to Xian-Pu's village, would be nice to see family again." Whilst Ranma didn't exactly have pleasant memories of the Amazon village, he could hardly deny letting Xian-Pu see her family when she was so close, and it wasn't like they had anywhere else to stay for two weeks.

"Um, alright, that sounds okay." He turned to the guide. "Come and get us when the springs are safe to use okay?" The guide politely nodded, he had undertaken such services before and was happy to oblige any guests, and more specifically victims, of Jusenkyo. Xian-Pu looked almost as excited to return home as she had been to get to the springs; he guessed that was what having a stable home environment did.

Everyone felt as though nothing would be accomplished by just standing around here so the two teens grabbed their packs and headed off in the direction of the village whilst the guide stayed behind, returning to his pipe and book. It was a comparatively short journey, only taking the pair about an hour but as they moved ever closer to Xian-Pu's home she grew ever more agitated.

"Xian-Pu, calm down will ya, you've only been away for a year." She looked at him kindly but he could see the hint of nervousness there.

"Xian-Pu realised that is Ranma turn girl-type and somebody recognise as outsider girl who beat Xian-Pu then Xian-Pu face consequences." He looked down for a moment but came to a different conclusion.

"But you weren't beaten by an outsider girl, you were beaten by me, if we explain I'm cursed then it won't matter." Of course that also threw up the matter of Ranma and Xian-Pu's engagement, something Ranma wanted to avoid if possible. If Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon had been insistent back in Japan then he dreaded to think how it would be enforced on him whilst surrounded by Amazons.

Finally they crested a ridge that overlooked Nyuchiehzu, of course Ranma had crossed that same ridge many months ago but he had been so tired and depressed at the time he had failed to take it in. Far from the small, backwards village he remembered from his fairly brief visit, the village sprawled out beneath him. There was vast farmland to one side and a more built up area of houses and such on the other. In the centre, near the entrance was the massive battle-log, reserved for tournaments and challenge matches. In fact right now he could just make out the forms of two women, fighting it out while trying to maintain their balance.

All Xian-Pu saw was her true home, a sight that sent her happily running down the hill, even as the two guards outside the front gate began raising their weapons. As the girl drew closer one of them recognised her and motioned for the other to lower her halberd. Ranma approached as the two young women talked animatedly, he listened in as best he could but whilst his Chinese was good, the girls talked too quickly for him to make out anything more than 'sister Xian-Pu...home...mother... Mu-Tzu has found...Ranma...Airen' and so forth. It was the bare bones of the conversation but his interest was piqued when the guard mentioned Mu-Tzu.

"Ranma! Kondi-Xie-Ne say Great Grandmother here in village!" Ranma was surprised to find he was actually glad, he guessed he actually missed the old ghoul; perhaps she had managed to make a bigger impact on his life than he had originally thought.

"Cool, but why?"

"Xian-Pu no know, but we find out." She walked casually through the main gates but her anxiety began bubbling to the surface with each step. They both heard a very familiar rhythmic knocked even before they saw the shrivelled old woman hopping along on her staff; it appeared she even did that here. The gazes of the people around him told Ranma that this was completely normal.

"Great Granddaughter, Son-in-Law, I was worried, what happened to you? I expected to find you here already when I arrived but your mother sounded surprised when I mentioned your name. It's been five days, come inside and tell me what went on." The two followed her through the winding streets of Nyuchiehzu that both Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon instinctively navigated until Ranma was dizzy from the myriad of twists and turns in the path.

She led them to a surprisingly modern-looking home built out of a well-hewn white stone that lightly shone where the sunlight hit it. They went in through the draped door and all sat around the living room table where three cups of steaming tea awaited them. Ranma looked at the shrivelled woman closely but she didn't let anything on, he was sure there was no way she could have possibly known they would arrive today, if at all and especially not within thirty minutes of her preparing the tea.

Ranma and Xian-Pu took turns in relating their story to Ku-Lon who sat back and listened intently throughout the entire tale, never once uttering a word until Ranma finally finished with their discovery at Jusenkyo and their decision to come here. Ku-Lon mused for a moment, never once allowing her emotions to seep into her face.

"That was quick thinking Ranma, using the winds of the Heaven Dragon Blast to ease your fall; however it appears the locals have you to thank for the odd weather as of late. The clash of hot and cold that high up in the air, it practically assured a storm would form. Anyhow it appears the two of you have had an eventful few days and I recommend you rest up for now, until tomorrow that is. If you do intend on staying for at least two weeks I will have to show Ranma the way around the village as well as explain his situation to the council." Ranma smiled a little in appreciation.

"You also say that you've learnt some Chinese boy?" Ranma nodded.

"A little, but I'm not fluent or nothing." Ku-Lon simply seemed intrigued, she had pondered before how the boy's eidetic brain might handle language but never would have thought he'd show the slightest interest in it. She ran through a quick test to see how far he had progressed and was pleasantly surprised.

"Well Ranma, with two weeks I believe I can have you speaking Chinese without trouble. I also hope you aren't planning on neglecting your training here, I am still your master after all."

"Of course not, I've been training with Xian-Pu on our journey here." Ku-Lon smiled.

"Oh son, now that I'm home and have near unlimited resources, you haven't even seen training yet." Xian-Pu inwardly groaned that her worst fear had come back; her Great Grandmother would once again take away her Airen to train during the day, completely nullifying her time with him. As if reading her mind Ku-Lon nonchalantly added.

"Of course Xian-Pu, you mustn't slack off on your own training, you are still the prodigy of the village after all, it wouldn't do for you to slip behind and have some young upstart beat you when you're weakened." The girl beamed; now she would have practically all day with Ranma, albeit training but time spent with her Airen was time well spent to her. Plus the intense training might finally get her out of the rut she had been in, she felt as though she hadn't really improved in her art since leaving China, perhaps this would be the thing to get her back on the upwards curve.

"Xian-Pu, why don't you show Ranma around whilst I talk with the council, I have a lot of things to explain to them." She nodded; it would be nice for Ranma to see her home, and speaking of which she knew where the first place on her tour would be. Smiling knowingly Ku-Lon added "They're home right now, so hurry." Ranma was confused by the words as they left but Xian-Pu was practically dragging him though the village and he got caught up in her excitement.

The both stopped, panting, in front of a building similar to Ku-Lon's home but slightly smaller and decorated with various plants adorned around the walls and on window ledges. Xian-Pu tentatively stepped inside only to be assaulted by two fast moving blurs that pounced on her from nowhere. The three girls rolled on the ground laughing and playfully hitting one another before Ranma walked through the door and they stood up, trying to act mature but still giggling in small fits.

"It too too good to see you big sister Xian-Pu-" "-We hope you visit some time, and you bring husband Ranma!"Ranma didn't answer that, instead he looked around the medium sized room, noting the homey family feel to the space with lots of cushions and warm colours painting the picture of the normal family home, besides the weapon racks and the casual copy of Sun-Tzu's the Art of War lying on the table. He wondered who lived here until his unspoken query was answered as a woman charged own the stairs and tackled Xian-Pu in much the same way as the twins had done not thirty seconds ago.

"Xian-Xian!" The woman wrapped up Xian-Pu in an enormous hug, her slim yet muscular build dwarfing the small girl even as she tried to hug back.

"Muqin!" Xian-Pu had reverted back to Chinese at the sight of her mother without even thinking and soon the two were talking so fast even Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung seemed to have trouble keeping up. As far as Ranma could tell it was a brief account of the past year of Xian-Pu's life yet somehow it was all over in a space of five minutes. Ranma was left to stand awkwardly just inside the door flaps as mother and daughter caught up after almost a year without seeing one another.

The two slowed down a bit as they approached the end and Ranma could begin to understand them more clearly. He was very surprised to find out Mu-Tzu had apparently beaten one of the village girls in combat and had taken her as his wife. He had grown so competent fighting Ranma over the last year he didn't realise how much better he had gotten compared to his friends and fellow teens here in China.

It sounded as though it wasn't even an impressive fight, the girl, one of the best in the village when Xian-Pu had left, challenged him for even returning without Xian-Pu beaten. They had fought; he won within the first minute and the two were married within two weeks. He had actually taken to married life very well, learning to love his new, if slightly unexpected, wife with the same passion he had tried to give Xian-Pu. The latter was surprised, happy, and a touch upset that the blind-boy had moved on from her so quickly but to be honest her happiness at finally being left alone to pursue Ranma in peace overrode this.

Lost in thought, Ranma had failed to realise that Xian-Pu's mother's gaze now fell on him, she alerted him to this fact with a subtle cough. Ranma gulped as he stared up at the woman before him, she was strong, there was no doubt about that, her muscles alone told him that, yet it didn't detract at all from her natural beauty. He could now see where Xian-Pu got her looks from, she was tall, maybe six foot two but she had a striking hourglass figure, only highlighted by her muscled body.

Her hair fell down in sweeping cascades of a dark, rose-petal pink that was tied up in places by a faint lavender ribbon. Her eyes were the same as Xian-Pu's, in fact she could be Xian-Pu's sister their facial features were so similar. However while Xian-Pu was attractive due to her cute innocence, this woman was strikingly beautiful, the hint of maturity highlighting everything on her face. If this was what he could expect from Xian-Pu as she grew older then he might be seeing her in a different light over the coming years.

"_Hello Ma'am" _He said it in his best Chinese accent.

"_Ranma, my daughter speaks very highly of you, I prefer to size people up myself. Until I do that you may consider this house your home and everything ours is yours. Under our village laws my daughter is obligated to marry you, however I suspect she now has genuine feelings for you. I would very much like to get to know the young man who so easily captured my daughter's heart, yet managed to evade her grasp for almost a year."_ Ranma's ability to speak without speaking had somehow managed to follow him across the ocean.

"_You say it like Shampoo has won me?" _The older woman gave him a sly smile.

"_Hasn't she? As I understand it you two have grown very close as of late, it may be wise to ponder your feelings son-in-law, for your sake and my daughter's." _She almost left him with that thought as she returned to the stairs with Xian-Pu in tow, the teenager reverting to a young child in the presence of her mother and following her around like a puppy. However she turned as she placed her foot on the step and looked at Ranma, giving him a warm smile that managed to somewhat ease the nerves that had been building up inside him.

"_By the way, you can call me Kon-Xiela"_

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**Author's Note: Come on guys, reviews aren't that hard, a few words, or even a number. It makes my day to flick on fanfiction and see I have a few reviews waiting for me. I'll answer questions as well, I'm more than happy to explain thing if people don't understand, you just gotta hit that button!**


	21. Chapter 21

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. That was until I sued her for intellectual property theft... she won, but it's the principle. Now if I only knew what the principle was.

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Xian-Pu and her mother had left to catch up properly and the twins had run off somewhere to do... something. Ranma was left standing in the cosy living room, everyone just forgetting about him in the excitement of the reunion. He figured it would be best for Xian-Pu to enjoy the time she had with her mother rather than force her into the tour of the village. He decided he'd have a walk around on his own, get to know the place for himself. He took a few moments outside to familiarise himself with the building to he could find his way back here and set off down a random path.

His mind must have been on autopilot as he quickly found himself back at the entrance to the village next to the large battle log that swung lazily in the mid-afternoon breeze. It was a meeting place of sorts for the people of Nyuchiehzu with people milling about, meeting friends or waiting to see if there would be a challenge fight today. They were in no such luck as there was nothing scheduled for the day, however there were the occasional heated arguments that would result in a quick fight.

He noticed a large training area filled with various equipment and weapons not too far from the log where a myriad of woman, of various builds and sizes, and a few men were practising their respective arts. He watched them for a while, particularly fascinated by some of the weapon displays he saw, many of them he quickly knew would have no real application in a fight but they were impressive all the same.

After a while of watching the women train he took off again, this time to the opposite side of the village. It was all farmland out here with many rice paddies and a few fields of vegetables. He noticed there were no cattle or other animals present in any of the fields, except for a few chicken coops here and there and the occasional cow for milk. He wondered how they got meat for a while as he wondered around the tranquil farms, his only company being the birds that watched him curiously from atop trees or hedges.

He quickly grew bored and diverted his path to the more built up area of the village. He passed through a market where vendors flogged their goods to passersby, including him. More than once he was grabbed by the arm and told insistently that their product was the best he could find for miles around and that he wouldn't get a better price for even further. He politely refused them each time in his best Chinese, explaining calmly he had no local money with which to buy from them.

However when he looked around a bit more he realised that people weren't only buying their goods with money, but actually bartering their own items, or even services written on pieces of paper. It briefly fascinated him to watch people haggling over the most trivial thing like how many grapes constituted a bunch or whether or not the weighing scales were off. Course it couldn't hold his attention for long, it left him too inactive for long.

His body must have responded to his craving for activity and motion as he quickly found himself right back where he started, at the training ground. He thought that as long as Ku-Lon was putting in a good word for him and Xian-Pu was with her mother it couldn't hurt for him to train a bit. There were more than a few strange looks shot his way as he entered the cordoned off training zone. He didn't know that it was unusual for a man to be training, even more so for an outsider male.

The odd glances and almost hostile looks only increased when he actually started his warm up, first doing some physical exercises to loosen him up and then his warm up kata's. After a while he noticed there were still people staring at him and a group of girls were looking his way, pointing and laughing. He thought they might have a problem with him being here or maybe with his style of martial arts. He would get his questions answered it seemed as one of the girls was pushed forward by the other three and nervously, but still with an air of arrogance, approached him.

"You not from here, outside boy? You Japan yes?" He was quite a moment as he allowed himself to finish the manoeuvre he had been doing before straighening up and looking at the girl, who didn't look happy at being ignored.

"_It's ok I understand Chinese."_ The girl looked startled briefly but if she was impressed she didn't show it."

"_So you're from Japan, right?" _He nodded warily, unsure of what was going on._ "Ling-Ling told us there are only weaklings in Japan, people barely worth fighting."_ He made a mental note to have a chat with Ling-Ling when he next saw her, if he could remember which one she was.

"_She's wrong."_ It wasn't really an accusation on his part, more a statement of fact, but the Chinese girl seemed undeterred.

"_Are you calling my sister a liar?" _She was finally starting to show some emotion, namely anger.

"_Yes._" Once again his tone was flat, without the hint of any kind of accusation; the girl seemed flustered for a moment.

"_Just who do you think you are?"_ He smiled which was something that, for a girl who wasn't really smiled at by guys, brought up strange feelings.

"_You can call me Ranma Saotome."_ Now the girl seemed properly perplexed, but still maintaining her dominant feeling of anger, in a way it almost reminded him of Akane and the way he used to get under her skin.

"_You wouldn't be so cocky lying flat on your back."_ He never dropped his smile.

"_I guess not, but it never happened before."_

"_That's because you fight weaklings in Japan, here we are proud Amazons!" _He actually chuckled. The girl had no idea what was going on or who this kid was, nobody was supposed to laugh at an insult from an Amazon. "_What's so funny?"_

"_I would hardly call guy who carry around one ton umbrella every day weakling" _The girl wasn't sure if the strange boy was joking or his Chinese was just that bad.

"_You need an attitude adjustment kid, one I'm going to give you!"_ Ranma rolled his leg and cracked his knuckles, usually he would have been totally against fighting girls but he knew from Xian-Pu how good of a fighter Amazon's were. She had also managed to hammer out his view that women were inferior fighters and fighting them was unfair. Anyway, he had been itching for a good fight for far too long now that he was almost fully healed.

He said nothing; he instead calmly walked out of the training area slowly. The girl thought he was running away from her and turned to laugh with her friends but stopped when they looked over her shoulder at something. Ranma had jumped up on the training log with all the agility of a cat; of course these girls couldn't grasp the irony of that fact. Infuriated that this nobody outsider would actually accept a challenge from her, she stormed up to the log and jumped on at the opposite end.

"_You intend to fight me without weapons?" _Ranma just shrugged.

"_Don't need 'em to fight you." _The girl had no such reservations and graciously accepted the two swords handed to her by her friend. She missed Ranma subtly alter his stance as she bent over to get them. They had now drawn a small crowd who had grown curious when a strange boy jumped onto the challenge log, even more so when one of their young warriors joined him up there.

The two opponents looked each other over briefly, sizing the other one up. The girl was happy to note the stranger had taken a very basic beginners stance, this was going to be far too easy. It looked as though the boy was already about to lose his balance and simply fall off the log. She could just wait there if she wanted and outlast the boy, of course she was much too proud, feeble opponent or not. An unspoken signal was acknowledged by the two and the girl strode forward, swords raised and pointed at Ranma.

"_You will regret trying to face an Amazon warrior weakling! Now you will understand why nobody has ever defeated us or captured out territory!" _She continued forward, swords never wavering and at the last second Ranma altered his crouched stance. Unfortunately the girl saw through the deception far too late and Ranma had already sprung over her head. She reacted too slowly as Ranma grabbed her wrists, pulled them sharply back to make her let go of the dangerous weapons and deftly thrown her off of the log.

The crowd looked on in astonishment as one of their most promising young warriors fell straight onto her face at the hands of this strange foreigner. Ranma didn't pay attention to the slow, uncertain round of applause as he jumped down, his cocky grin now firmly back on his face. He offered a hand to the fallen girl, who looked at him even more strangely than when she had been with her friends in the training area. In a small part of Ranma's mind two cogs were whirring past each other, trying to connect but just missing it each time.

The girl ignored his hand and sprung to her feet, catching Ranma off guard in a bear hug that almost knocked the extremely startled girl. Finally the two gears snapped into place and one thought shot through Ranma's mind. 'Aw crap, I did it again!' The girl broke the embrace, smiling warmly at the boy who had defeated her in fair combat.

"Wo-"Ranma firmly cut her off as he placed his hand over her mouth.

"_I'm sorry, I cannot be husband, already engaged, forgot Amazon laws about outsider males!" _Unfortunately he recognised the dreamy but heavily insistent look in the girls sparkling eyes. This wasn't good at all.


	22. Chapter 22

_I _do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. .ihsahakaT okimuR eno fo pihsrenwo elos eht ni era yeht ,niereht cte seitreporp lautcelletni ,secalp ,sretcarahc eht fo yna ro amnaR nwo ton od I

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"Um hey, Shampoo?" Ranma called into the house, his head just inside the door flaps, the rest of his body currently being hugged by the girl he didn't even know the name of, was outside the house, receiving a few odd looks from passersby. Xian-Pu came hopping down the stairs, practically glowing from her reunion with her mother, she couldn't wait to tell Ranma all about it, which made it even better that he was here. The young Amazon felt as though nothing could bring her spirits down right now.

"Yes Airen?" Even Ranma, in his odd predicament, could see the waves of happiness radiating out of Xian-Pu. The pit in his stomach sank a few inches.

"Could you come out round the back of the house? I _need_ to talk to you alone." Xian-Pu was intrigued and a bit excited by the request and couldn't help but comply. However when she made a move to follow the boy he quickly disappeared from view. When she did actually get around to the back of the house she saw something that brought a slight chill to her blood.

Ranma was standing in the middle of the garden, furiously trying to remove the other girl's vice-like grip from around his waist, to no avail. It was a grip that Xian-Pu knew all too well, one that she knew Ranma, with his inhibitions on hurting women, would not be able to break on his own.

"_Wa-Kze! What are you doing with my love?!" _The girl looked shocked at Xian-Pu's arrival; in fact, now she looked around them she was a bit startled at her surroundings. The girl had been so engrossed in her new husband she hadn't even noticed them move.

"_Xian-Pu, you're back!? What do you mean your love? This stranger is my husband; he beat me in fair combat, as are the traditions of the village!" _Xian-Pu seethed and shot a dangerous look at Ranma who shrank back under her steady gaze. He tried to offer an explanation but all that came out was mumbled gibberish.

"_Leave Wa-Kze, Ranma is my fiancée, he defeated me before you and I will not share him." _The girl completely ignored the warning, icy tone in Xian-Pu's 'request'.

"_I finally found a husband worthy of me and you wish for me to just give him up to you? Once I give him the kiss of marriage then my claim to him will be just as valid as yours."_ However as the girl explained this she hadn't counted on Ranma understanding her.

"_Wait, so if you no kiss me you aren't fiancée?" _The girl looked up at him a little hurt.

"_Well, no. But don't you want me as your wife?" _She pushed out her chest a little and put on a puppy dog look. Xian-Pu saw his and knew where it was going, if Wa-Kze started crying then she had no doubt Ranma might even agree to the engagement just to get her to stop. Sometimes his ease to manipulate was a disadvantage. Somehow though Ranma managed to resist the attempt to twist his emotions around, perhaps he was building up immunity due to Xian-Pu's repeated use of the same tactic.

"_Sorry, I have enough fiancées as is, one more really pushing it." _The girl seemed confused by the statement, one again wondering if she had actually heard him right. However she tried to go in for the kiss anyhow and got a Chui to the side of her head for her troubles. Xian-Pu looked down at the fallen girl, who had finally broken her grip, with a murderous look in her eye.

"_You try and kiss my love one more time and I will kill you Wa-Kze, I've spent far too long building a bond between Ranma and me for you to come along and destroy everything!"_ Ranma might have been touched if he wasn't so frightened of the lavender-haired teen in front of him right now. She really did seem as though she would carry through on the threat. Even so, Wa-Kze seemed almost, if not just as, angry from her position on the floor.

"_How dare you strike me outside of a legitimate match?!" _Xian-Pu just sneered.

"_Fine, you want me to beat you again in a real match, let's go!"_ Ranma was dumbfounded, sure he had seen girls fight over him before but this was just ridiculous. His mind snapped back to when he had watched an old cheesy American film where the protagonist would step in between two angry women saying something obnoxious like 'ladies please, there's enough of me for both of you'. Somehow he didn't think that would go down all too well with these particular girls, not that he wanted both anyway.

The two girls ran off, obviously toward the battle log and Ranma gave chase behind them, was this actually happening? Were two attractive Amazon warriors going to fight over his hand for marriage? Somehow this whole scenario felt backwards as if certain roles were reversed. Ranma felt as though he should be honoured or something but was too busy thinking of the repercussions if Xian-Pu lost, this was exactly why he hated people fighting his battles for him.

No, he would just have to trust in Xian-Pu's skill and strength as a fighter, anyway, after a year in Nerima any fighter would come back stronger, the other girl barely stood a chance. Then again, whilst Ranma had managed to fully recover from any injuries he had sustained in the plane crash, Xian-Pu wasn't so lucky. He knew firsthand she had a vicious scar down her left side that was still sore, if her opponent took advantage of this she could be in trouble. Something told Ranma that Wa-Kze wasn't one to play fair.

He caught up to them just as they jumped up on either end of the battle log, he really was starting to dislike that thing; it had caused him a lot of problems. Then again one of the problems had resulted in him meeting Xian-Pu, which in the long run he guessed was good. But in this case, it was bad, very bad; he couldn't actually see things going well from here. If Xian-Pu lost, then he lost her not only as a fiancée, but most likely as a friend as well, he could definitely see Wa-Kze as the jealous type. If Xian-Pu won then he would have to deal with the guilt of whatever injury's were bestowed on Wa-Kze at Xian-Pu's hands, it would be his fault.

Why couldn't he have just remembered what it actually meant to challenge an Amazon, especially as a man? In the end he was still routing for Xian-Pu, after all, the guilt he could live with, losing Xian-Pu, he wasn't so sure. He didn't have any more time to think about himself as the two combatants had warmed up and were preparing to fight. There was no doubt Wa-Kze was now prepared, she wouldn't let her guard down this time, not after she had been so easily defeated last time.

She was much more cautious in her approach of Xian-Pu; she figured the year away from the Amazons would have weakened the purple-haired teen. However she still didn't fully know the girls limits, in the tournament that had resulted in Xian-Pu leaving to chase the red-haired outsider who beat her, Wa-Kze hadn't fought her. She had heard rumours of her skill, what aspiring Amazon hadn't? So no matter what her preconceptions might be she was on full guard, waiting for the girl to make a move.

It never came; Xian-Pu would be the first to admit that before her time in Japan she had been a ruthless and slightly reckless fighter, who always made the first move on an opponent. However if her time chasing after Ranma, both literally and figuratively, had taught her anything at all, except that he was the most stubborn person in the world, it was patience. Now she knew the value of waiting it out, sizing up your opponent's skill level before adjusting your tactics accordingly.

She already knew the girl wielded swords with grace and adept proficiency and as such her priority with her Chúi would be to block. If those deadly weapons came inside her defences it would be a short fight. That meant her legs had the job of attacking. It would be dangerous but she was confident that if she kept Wa-Kze's arms busy she wouldn't even see it coming. The fight proper started in a blur of motion as Wa-Kze charged forward, finally growing impatient of her opponent's unwillingness to attack her.

"_Has your time in Japan turned you into a coward? Or have you just forgotten how to fight like a real Amazon?" _This couldn't be better for Xian-Pu; the busier the girl was taunting her, the less she was focusing on her defence. She parried the first blow with ease, as well as the second and the third, each time she would drive back a bit with the blocks, trying to determine the girls balance. That was a dead end, the girl moved with almost the same poise and reservation as she herself did.

There was no way she would knock the girl off the log, she lacked the speed to pull of the manoeuvre without herself being caught by one of Wa-Kze's counter attacks. She found herself being driven back ever so slightly so she employed some of what Ranma taught her and swung up with her Chúi, gaining momentum which quickly sent her over the other girls head. Not expecting the move but preparing for it nevertheless after Ranma had tried the same thing on her last time, Wa-Kze tried to strike of Xian-Pu while she was vulnerable in the air.

She underestimated the sheer prowess in mid-air that the Saotome style gave Xian-Pu as she parried any attempts with the same ease she had whilst of solid ground. Now that she was on the larger portion of the log with a bit more room to move and a good summation of her opponent's skill Xian- finally went on the attack. She drove the girl back with sharp kick after kick, all the while blocking any counter-moves with her Maces and not allowing the girl even a second to switch tactics or cover the glaring hole in her lower defences.

Unfortunately as she was about to drive the now desperate girl off the end of the log and an assured victory a lucky shot from one of Wa-Kze's kicks managed to break through Xian-Pu's defence as she grew too cocky. It struck her squarely in the side, right across the large scar that was a gift from the plane crash. She buckled almost immediately, only just managing to block and dodge the quick counter attack from Wa-Kze by sheer reflex. She quickly retreated to try and recover but the other girl wasn't going to give her the chance.

The brutality of the counter attack was shocking, Wa-Kze managed to land blow after blow on Xian-Pu, who was mainly defending her weakened left side, something Wa-Kze took advantage of immediately. Many vicious blows and some severe cuts were landed all over Xian-Pu's unprotected body, something that made Ranma cringe to watch. The turn of the tide of the battle was startling to say the least; it was usually unheard of for somebody dominating a battle to be so quickly overpowered.

It was only by sheer luck that Xian-Pu managed to escape with her throat intact as a sword stroke from Wa-Kze came in too hard and embedded the weapon in the wood of the log. Xian-Pu struck out with her feet in a last ditch attempt as her opponent was so busy trying to reclaim her blade from the ancient tree. She succeeded in landing the blow and Wa-Kze tripped forward, her head impacting heavily with the hilt of her own weapon, still firmly planted in the wood.

She fell unconscious immediately, sliding limply off of the log to land heavily in the surrounding dust. Ranma couldn't care less about that; he was more focused on the battered, bruised and beaten Xian-Pu who limped away from the log toward him, a victorious smile on her features. It didn't last long as she finally succumbed to her many wounds and dropped to the ground in front of him. He ran the distance to her and picked her up safely in her arms before giving the other fallen girl a single glance.

She was being roused by the crowd and Ranma left, certain the girl's injuries weren't fatal. He spared another look at Xian-Pu, now safe as he could make her in his arms. He took off at a full sprint, really hoping his eidetic memory wouldn't let him down and he could find his way back to Ku-Lon's home. It never had before but with his life, he really didn't know anymore.

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**Author's Note: Will Xian-Pu make it home in time? Will Ranma be able to live with the grief if she doesn't? Will there ever be another series of Stargate Universe? You'll have to find out... Next time** **(Also... Review please :P)**


	23. Chapter 23

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I recently cloned myself. That has nothing to do with this story or anything else but I thought it was pretty cool. Unfortunately the scientist botched it and he came out 1/8th my size.

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"Elder Cologne!" Ranma really hoped it wasn't going to become a thing for him to run into people's homes in an emergency, calling their name. The old woman hopped into the room, annoyed at being interrupted in the middle of her beauty sleep. Annoyed that was until she saw the state that her Great-Granddaughter was in, cradled in Ranma's arms. She motioned for him to set her down on the table and he did so unquestioningly.

Even Ranma could see that it didn't look good, Xian-Pu was very pale from blood loss and there were a heck of a lot of cuts that crisscrossed her body. He knew from personal experience that not many would scar and none that would were in noticeable areas but the sheer amount of the smaller ones was dangerous. He couldn't have checked before but now that he got a chance to look he saw that no major veins or arteries had been cut and she was breathing shallowly, but regularly.

Ku-Lon was thinking just about the same thing, she quickly bandaged the very worst of the slashes after applying a salve to stave off infection. Her next concern was the largest scar on Xian-Pu's body which had re-opened after the savage kick she had received. There would be no letting it heal this time, she had to stitch it up, she was lucky Xian-Pu had fallen unconscious as she had no anesthetic handy. It was quick and painless but Ranma still couldn't watch as Ku-Lon sewed the thin medical thread through Xian-Pu's side until the bleeding stopped.

Some colour was beginning to return to Xian-Pu's skin as the worst of her injuries were dealt with. Ku-Lon fed her a concoction that would briefly encourage red-blood cell production so that the girl could regain the lost life fluid, she was going to be very hungry over the next few days but in the long and short term it was definitely going to help her heal. Ranma once again carried her, this time to Ku-Lon's spare room so she could lie in a bit more comfort and as soon as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him Ku-Lon turned all her attention on him.

"What happened here Ranma? I expect you to not leave even a single detail out." So Ranma didn't, he explained exactly what had happened from the moment he left her house earlier that day to the second he had sprinted off from the fight with Xian-Pu bleeding out in his arms. Like always Ku-Lon listened in grim silence until the end of his story but her eyes grew narrower as time passed and her gaze hardened.

"What you did was foolish and irresponsible Ranma, from someone who has been on the receiving end of our laws more than once I expect more from you. Do you realise that today your actions could have very well resulted in Xian-Pu's death?!" Ranma couldn't take much more of the harsh words.

"OF COURSE I REALISE!" He didn't realise just how loud he was shouting at the older woman. "You don't think I realise what I did?! How I endangered her life without even the possibility of me being hurt! Don't you realise what I'm feeling! It's my fault she is in there right now, hurt! It's my fault she got into a fight in the first place! If I had any decency I should just run away from her and never look back! All I ever bring is destruction and pain, to everybody who comes across me. Nothing goes right in my life but it's always the people around me who pay the price. My fiancées, Ryoga's curse, and now Shampoo." By the end his voice was a hoarse whisper and the hint of a tear was forming in his eye. "But I won't abandon her, I have to make up for what I did, however I can, because she deserves better."

Ku-Lon watched the emotional display with the act of a cold emotionless blank slate, but inside she was moved by the young boy's tirade, something that hadn't happened to her in a long time.

"I think you should be with her now boy, but don't think you are getting off from me so easily, and don't expect it from her mother either." Ranma hung his head as he entered the room, fully prepared for whatever either woman thought was suitable punishment but right now he had somewhere to be. He sat down on the side of the bed and picked up her hand in his. He promised himself and her that he wouldn't let go until she woke up. It was her opinion he was most afraid of at this point.

* * *

As Ku-Lon hopped away from her house she had a moment to think, she knew that any punishment she could think of was pointless with the boy in there. He was already beating himself up so why bother? It was this fact she had to convince Xian-Pu's mother of. Her Granddaughter always was very protective of her child, even when Ku-Lon herself had come to take the girl away to be trained. It had pained her to fight her own flesh and blood, just as it had with Xian-Pu at Jusenkyo when the girl had received her own curse.

Her relationship with Kon-Xiela had been rocky from that point onward and she hadn't actually set foot in her Granddaughter's home for over eleven years. She hated to finally break that streak bearing the terrible new she did. Of course Xian-Pu would recover, her injuries weren't really all that bad despite how they looked but Kon-Xiela had a tendency to overreact. That wasn't really the issue; it was what she did after the overreaction that was the problem.

She had to find a way to calm down her Granddaughter before she stormed into Ranma's and Xian-Pu's life and messed up the carefully laid framework she had been building for the past year, the two were just at too delicate a point in their relationship for something like this. That brought her to her next concern, how Xian-Pu would act. She knew that the girl loved Ranma with all her heart but she was just too unpredictable sometimes. Boy Ranma had really managed to piss fate off this time, Ku-Lon really hated not being in control and she definitely wasn't in this situation, too many unknowns.

She paused outside of the simple but elegant white-washed house, drawing in her strength. Right now she wasn't the matriarch of a powerful tribe of Amazon women, simply an old woman visiting her granddaughter. As such she dismounted her staff and walked inside the house like anybody else might. Kon-Xiela actually dropped her cup of tea as she noticed just who had walked into her home, the porcelain cup shattering on the hard tiled floor of the kitchen.

"_Grandmother! What are you doing here?" _It was an accusation more than a question but Ku-Lon had prepared herself for anything.

"_Xian-Pu was in a fight, she has been hurt but is currently recuperating at my home."_ Now Kon-Xiela was listening and demanded to be informed of what exactly had happened to her daughter. The older woman explained, trying to put Ranma in as best a light she could, difficult considering what he had done. It obviously hadn't worked and Ku-Lon could see the tell tale signs of anger growing in her Granddaughter's body language.

"_That boy! I knew he was trouble the second he walked into my house!" _Ku-Lon raised her hand, silencing her Granddaughter.

"_Please Kon-Xiela, You don't know the boy as I do. He is one of the noblest and kind-hearted men I have had the pleasure to meet. It is the fault of his upbringing by a buffoon of a father that he tends to act and speak without thinking. Xian-Pu cares for Ranma a great deal and if you have any care for your daughter and really have her best interests at heart like you say, you will not go and see her until she has awoken and the two have had a chance to talk to one another."_

Kon-Xiela was about to strongly object but her Grandmother's words rang true in her, she really didn't know the boy and was a bit hasty to jump to conclusions. If Ku-Lon was willing to vouch for him he couldn't be all bad, it was more the thought of not seeing her daughter whilst she was in such a bad condition.

"_Will she be okay?"_ Ku-Lon looked on with understanding as her Granddaughter's voice dropped to a more normal tone.

"_She will be fine Kon-Xiela. Ranma is there in case she requires anything and I believe she will make a full recovery in four or five days, if she doesn't get in any more fights." _She looked at her Granddaughter with the slightest hint of a smile. "_She's just as strong-willed and impulsive as you were at her age." _Kon-Xiela also briefly smiled, remembering just how right he Grandmother was, she was a reckless tomboy as a youth, relentlessly pursuing boys until she finally found the one who could match and defeat her.

Her smile didn't last as her thoughts once more turned to concern for her daughter's well-being, she sighed.

"_While you are here Grandmother, would you like some tea?"_

"_Of course, I would love some." _The two women, who had barely said a word to each other for nigh on ten years sat down around the table, sipping their tea. They didn't say much but it was more than what had happened between them for too long.

* * *

Ranma didn't move, he didn't leave Xian-Pu's side for a second, even when he grew hungry or thirsty he didn't flinch from his self-imposed duty. He even slept for a few hours but when he awoke, still sitting up on the edge of Xian-Pu's bed, his hand hadn't strayed from hers. However one thing had changed, when he looked over at her previously dozing form he saw that her eyes had cracked open and she was looking at him warmly.

His heart snapped at that warm, forgiving look, he knew what was coming but he didn't want it. He knew he didn't deserve Xian-Pu's forgiveness; he deserved punishment, scalding words, to be thrown out of the house angrily.

"Ranma stay with Xian-Pu all night?" He just stared at her, still not knowing what to say, so he didn't say anything, he dove down onto Xian-Pu's lying body and hugged her in a way that she could feel but wouldn't upset her wounds nor disturb her stitches. He looked up at her and she stared back before they both moved in for a kiss, their mouths met and didn't part for a good two minutes.

This wasn't their usual kiss; there was no vying for dominance with their tongues or playful biting on each other's lips, just two people who loved each other sharing the comfort of one another in an intimate and comforting way. Ranma had realised it when he had first seen Xian-Pu on Ku-Lon's table, he knew because he felt as though if Xian-Pu had died then a small part of him would pass with her.

He hated that it had taken so much for him to realise such a simple truth but it didn't matter in that moment because he was sharing a kiss with someone who could forgive him for nearly getting her killed. And he knew he would be able to forgive her for anything. It was sad when the two eventually parted, pain was still written all over Ranma's face.

"What wrong Airen" Even that single word pained him more than he could properly express.

"I don't deserve you Shampoo, I've gotten you hurt and you've had to pay for my mistakes." Shampoo grew cross; at least as angry as she could be after such a wonderful moment.

"Ranma act stupid, fight not Airen's fault, Xian-Pu no have to fight, and Xian-Pu getting hurt was not your fault either, Xian-Pu grow overconfident and careless and pay for it." Ranma understood she was trying to make him feel better but it wasn't really working, it would have been hard to convince him this was anything less than his fault and his fault alone.

"Still, is there anything I can do to make this up to you?" He couldn't even look at her as he said it. Briefly a mischievous grin crossed Xian-Pu's features but disappeared when she realised this was no time to be silly. She recognised that Ranma was in a delicate emotional state and felt he required punishment for a wrong that Xian-Pu didn't think he had committed. However she actually wanted nothing from Ranma at the moment.

This was it though, one unreserved favour from Ranma, anything she wanted of the boy. She could ask him to marry her, she could ask him to break it off with the other fiancées, she could ask him to stay with her here, live in Nyuchiehzu, forever. But she didn't. She asked him the only thing she wanted at that exact moment as she stared into love of her life's dejected face.

"Ranma, Xian-Pu want promise." Ranma gulped but nodded all the same. "Xian-Pu want Ranma to promise, that he forgive himself." He stared at her unblinking, she could have asked him anything at all and he knew that she knew that, yet she had been so selfless as to give his request right back to him. He could have broken down in tears had his pride as a martial artist, and as a man hadn't beaten him to it.

"I don't think I can Shampoo, but I can try." She looked at him lovingly.

"That all Xian-Pu ask."

* * *

Once they had breached that initial barrier the two were almost exactly the same, they talked like old times, mostly about the fight. Ranma had asked what happened even though he knew the answer, then he congratulated her on incorporating the moves he had taught her and her twist on them. She asked him what had happened after she fainted and as soon as the two were caught up they fell asleep, it was about three in the morning after all.

They woke up surprisingly peacefully, Ranma had been sure that fate would have tried to throw another spanner in the works of his life by now. Unfortunately he hadn't predicted it doing just that, but waiting for him to think about it first. The door to the room they were in slammed open revealing the muscular but feminine form of Kon-Xiela. Ranma stood up slowly from the bed and Xian-Pu shifted back a few inches so her head was propped up by the headboard. He walked up to the woman who had a strangely cold and indifferent face when she looked at him.

"_I leave you two alone for now."_ He then walked out of the room to await his punishment downstairs. While he waited on the couch downstairs he pondered Xian-Pu's request, the selflessness and kindness she showed once again wondered why he couldn't admit to himself he loved her before. Right now he just couldn't go through with it, it was his fault, maybe he could except that some aspects of the day's events had been partially out of his control but right now that was the limit, it was a start at least.

Then his thoughts fell on something even grimmer, he loved Xian-Pu, that was for sure, but what was he going to do about Ukyo and Akane? Ucchan had been his friend for as long as he could remember, this might seriously hurt her and whilst Akane was annoying and tomboyish they still had a bond that had grown over the year. It would be hard to tell them but he guessed it just couldn't be helped. The tiniest part of him that still sparkled with hope quietly wished they might take it well and they could part as friends but Ranma was too much of a realist to believe that whole-heartedly.

Finally his wait was brought to an end as Kon-Xiela walked down the stairs, still relieved at confirming her daughter would be okay. She set her sights on Ranma and once again he noticed the completely neutral, blank look that she gave him, even as she sat down next to him on the sofa. She sighed deeply as if trying to rid herself of a troublesome feeling and turned to face him.

"_Ranma, I have every reason to be angry at you, you put my daughter at risk and endangered her life with thoughtless behaviour. Yet, the testimonies I have received from both my daughter, and more surprisingly my Grandmother, have convinced me to at least hear you out. Like I said before I like to make my own decision concerning people and that still stands true. I would like to get to know the boy who enthralled my daughter so, and now seems as good a time as any."_

He didn't hold anything back, for the next half hour he talked to the woman in the best Chinese he could manage. He explained a lot about his life from his early and rigorous training to his Neko-ken, to his curse at Jusenkyo and to the last year. He didn't know why but under the steady and unwavering gaze of this imposing woman he found himself confessing things he hadn't talked to anybody about, and some things he wouldn't even admit to himself.

He explained the fiancée situation and the woman quickly developed an opinion of Genma, despite her earlier declaration she only decided things on people for herself. He found himself telling her all about how trapped he felt and how much pressure he was under from everybody to make a choice. He also expressed his desires to not see anybody get hurt by his actions and why he just couldn't bring himself to even think about who he liked more.

Then he got to the incident with the red thread of fate, when everything had changed. He went through the aborted wedding, Mu-Tzu's departure, the twin's arrival, the growing bond between him and Xian-Pu and the fight with his father. Then there was the race for a chance at Jusenkyo, the plane crash, the days trekking across China and finally what had happened yesterday.

Kon-Xiela took it all in, occasionally interjecting when she couldn't quite understand what he was trying to get across. Otherwise she listened silently to the abridged story of Ranma's life in that same almost infuriating way her Grandmother did, something he figured she must have gotten from her. He at least hoped it wasn't a hereditary trait before realising Xian-Pu wasn't really the listening quietly type, she was far too energetic for that. The woman took a few moments to take everything in.

"_I have to say Ranma, for one so young you have led an interesting and eventful life that some would find envious and others might find cursed. I believe that you have weathered a lot of bad circumstances with surprising elasticity and made the best out of a lot of bad situations, even if your pride gets in the way sometimes. I admire your honesty when you make a mistake and your willingness to fix it, such honour is rare these days, especially from someone your age or raised by a father such as the one you described."_

Ranma was surprised at the kind words and the fairly accurate summation of his life, yet at the same time he was crestfallen that he once again got away without punishment when he didn't feel he deserved it.

"_However I cannot support you stringing along three girls for so long, especially when one is my daughter. Whilst I understand that you have strong feelings for Xian-Pu it doesn't excuse your behaviour towards the other two, Ukyo and Akane was it? It would have been better for everybody if you had tried to figure out your feelings from the start. Since you have allowed them all to feel as though there is a chance you could be with them, the blow will come even more strongly when they find out this isn't true."_

Ranma hung his head, accepting the criticism of his actions with sadness and a small amount of relief; it was good to finally feel like he wasn't just getting away with this.

"_I feel as though if I give you a real chance to prove yourself to me you will not fail me, is that correct?" _Ranma mutely nodded. _"Good, then as recompense for your actions towards my daughter I would ask that if the Joketsuzoku ever require your help, you will answer that call."_ Ranma looked up a moment, it seemed an awful lot to ask of him, he had no idea what a tribe of Amazons would ever need of him but he nodded all the same. The older woman stood up and Ranma did the same, then she did something that truly surprised him, she hugged him.

"_Thank you for coming into my daughter's life. She is like a new person and whilst I wouldn't say she is a better person I feel she is happier and it is due to you. I would be proud to call you son." _The hug from the taller and older woman was a little awkward but Ranma returned it as best he could, with a little trepidation. He couldn't help but compare it to Xian-Pu and found that he would probably think it was her if the woman wasn't so tall. She broke away and beamed at him, a very, very familiar mischievous twinkle appearing in her eyes as she moved to the kitchen.

"_Now I just have to see this for myself."_ And with that she poured a glass of water in the sink and threw it over Ranma, activating the curse. She stared at his female form for a second in thought, but the satisfied grin on her face, even as Ranma looked irritated and questioningly at her, was unmistakable. "_I wonder why when people talked about your curse they missed the fact you were attractive."_ All Ranma's irritation immediately translated into confusion at the incredibly strange remark.

"_I guess you'll need a warm bath now, Xian-Pu will need one as well and you might as well share."_ With a satisfied smirk she strode out the front door, perfectly happy with the way the night had gone. Ranma on the other hand was left completely speechless as she continued to drip onto the carpet.


	24. Chapter 24

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. It was horrible, just horrible, he just... oh my god, he just disintegrated. The scientist warned me he might be unstable but... Oh my god he's everywhere!

* * *

Whilst he didn't want to do anything that Kon-Xiela had asked of him after purposefully splashing him with water he admitted he didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't leave the house as a girl or somebody might recognise him, he couldn't do that as it risked getting Xian-Pu into trouble, he just couldn't do anything to hurt her right now. That meant getting some hot water, he supposed he could just get it from the tap but honestly he actually wanted a bath right now.

He walked up the stairs ringing out his soaked clothes, not really caring that it went all over the floor. He slipped into Xian-Pu's room, noting that she had managed to get a book from somewhere and was casually flipping through it.

"Hey Shampoo, wanna have a bath?" She looked up from the book, a small bemused smile on her face.

"When Ranma become girl?" Ranma chuckled; the girl's smile was infectious.

"Your mother thought it would be funny." Xian-Pu grew serious.

"What happen with mother? Ranma downstairs long time."

"I'm not really sure myself, we talked for a while, I told her about my past, then she hugged me and splashed me with cold water. It was a little weird." Xian-Pu's bemused smile had returned.

"Mother hug Ranma?" She was quite eccentric sometimes. "Yes, Xian-Pu would like have bath with Airen." He picked her up very carefully, she still wasn't ready to walk just yet; this was all very familiar to him, why did Xian-Pu always come off worse than him? She didn't mind, nestling into his chest, even as a girl, and getting comfortable.

Ranma walked to the bathroom, quickly finding it even though he had never been there before. He set Xian-Pu down on the sink and ran the furo, thankful that the tub was large enough for the both of them. He helped Xian-Pu out of her clothing, after so many nights together in the same sleeping bag he had finally overcome his reservations concerning naked women, or at least Xian-Pu. It really did help that he had seen himself as a woman quite a few times.

Xian-Pu enjoyed the less inhibited Ranma, it made her wonder just how far she could get him to go; like it was a challenge of sorts. She tried to help him with her clothes as much as she could but she couldn't really bend he stomach all that much so the best she could manage was unbuttoning her shirt. She tried to make a show of it but Ranma's focus was elsewhere as he removed her shoes. When she was ready he slipped her into the warm waters which were still slowly filling up the tub.

Next he started taking off his own clothes, Xian-Pu watched with curiosity, she had never really had that much extended interaction with Ranma whilst in his girl form. She watched, fascinated as he undressed. He was definitely attractive as a man; she knew that from the first moment she had met him, even before he defeated her. However she had never taken the time to appreciate just how that translated over to his cursed form.

Xian-Pu had never had any inclinations of that type, not that they weren't unheard of or banned by her society. But she might have been willing to try with Ranma, however if he wasn't ready for that kind of stuff as a man then he certainly wasn't going to agree to it as a girl, he was very stubborn in that aspect. She did admire his value of his own manhood, despite his predicament. Xian-Pu wasn't sure how she would react if she had the inverse curse. Briefly she wondered how she might look as a man but honestly she couldn't picture anything but herself. Perhaps that was how Ranma felt, unable to mentally think of himself as a girl no matter what, despite actually being able to turn into one.

This fascinating self-discovered aspect of her Airen's mind distracted Xian-Pu to the point where she missed when Ranma finished undressing and steppef into the furo, giving a loud sigh of relief, now male again. Ranma started the usual way, by washing Xian-Pu's back but it quickly degenerated from good-hearted washing to full on making out in no time at all. The two had seriously missed their bath sessions and it showed as the two furiously, but still carefully fought it out in a battle for dominance.

* * *

The next five days passed somewhat more mundanely than their first day Nyuchiehzu. Shortly after their bath excursion they had both moved in with Xian-Pu's mother, who still had a room for her daughter, and anyone else she might care to share it with. Ranma would spend as much time as possible with Xian-Pu despite Ku-Lon's insistence that he restart his training. After the first few days he relented and started spending the afternoons with Ku-Lon, mostly regaining his strength but fairly soon starting to train proper.

After the third day Xian-Pu gave him permission to start training in earnest but he always made time for her, in the morning, at lunch and in the evening where they would spend their time up on the rooftop of Kon-Xiela's house just talking or making out. Once Ranma had started he just enjoyed it too much to stop, and Xian-Pu was only happy to oblige. She too was recovering a little bit each day and by the fifth she was actually ready to join Ranma and Ku-Lon on their first training trip away from the village.

* * *

They were all cold but none of them showed it, the wind bit them through their thick clothes or in Ku-Lon's case her usual robe. Of the three she seemed the least affected by the frosty chill in the air, something that seemed impossible with her severely less covering apparel. They trudged on anyway, intent on making it to the campsite before nightfall. Xian-Pu had told him that Ku-Lon had always brought her out here for their training trips due to the river and hot-spring that were nearby; it made washing and collecting water very convenient.

Ranma was just pleased about the part about the hot-springs, it would mean no getting stuck in his girl-type waiting for water to boil and that had grown old quickly when they were travelling to Jusenkyo. He stopped briefly to stretch his back, he was carrying about half of Xian-Pu's equipment and while it was doing his strength wonders it was doing a number on his back. Xian-Pu didn't mind carrying her own stuff but when she tried her nearly popped out some of her stitches, even so Ranma practically had to force her to relinquish even half her gear.

Ever since the fight Ranma had found himself subconsciously doing things to help Xian-Pu wherever he could, only noticing it afterwards. He mainly attributed it to his natural honour that was deeply engrained into him by his father, one of the only things the old man had done right. For instance he always carried Xian-Pu up onto the rooftop for their nightly talks, even after she was well enough to do it on her own.

Right now that particular mannerism was starting to wear down on him thanks to the ridiculously heavy pack. However as soon as he started wishing they would just get there already Ku-Lon announced from up ahead of them that she could see the campsite. Sure enough when they walked through some particularly dense brush they emerged into a circular clearing about fifty feet in diameter. It was surrounded by closely packed trees and dense brush in all except two places.

Over to the far side of the camp there was a path leading off further into the forest that he would later find out was the way to the hot-spring which was about twenty feet down the lightly treaded dirt tract. The only other crack in the otherwise impenetrable foliage was the very slight hint of a stream that's bank was one corner of the clearing. When Ku-Lon had said that the two amenities were close to the campsite he had thought she meant within one hundred or so feet, but this was just extra convenient.

Now they were here they all immediately fell into well rehearsed routines of setting up tents, one for Xian-Pu and Ranma and the other for Ku-Lon. Then they unpacked the majority of their gear either into the tents or around the small pit in the ground that was pre-dug for a fire. All of this was done as close to the tree line as possible in the space between the hot-spring path and river for added ease. This left the majority of the open space free for training or anything else they would do on the trip, Ranma couldn't think of anything but he couldn't know what Ku-Lon had planned for them.

By the time they were done Ku-Lon sat facing a roaring flame which had a cooking pot suspended over it. She motioned for the two teens to join her, they obliged; both adopting the same meditative pose that was most comfortable on the hard, frost-bitten ground.

"Well you two, it's late now and that was a tough journey so I won't be asking any training of you tonight but I feel it would be best to explain the nature of our trip." The two teens leaned in, intrigued, they had both assumed it was just a normal training trip, they had both taken them so often they were almost routine. You go out to a quiet, secluded place where the hustle and bustle and distractions of everyday life can't find you and you practise something you otherwise couldn't grasp.

"This is no ordinary training trip, at least not in the sense that you two would think of. Instead I brought you out here for two special reasons. The first is that I believe you are both ready to learn Ki manipulation." Xian-Pu let out a little gasp, now Ranma was very interested.

"Ki manipulation? Don't you mean Chi?" Ku-Lon smirked.

"Ahh, a common misconception son-in-law, while yes the human body does contain Chi it is beyond any human knowledge what exactly it is. Chi is intangible and as mystical as any other of the great mysteries of life. Ki on the other hand is much more understood, it is almost the tangible aspect of Chi, something we can channel or focus, it is the life energy of the human form, the thing we change when using shiatsu pressure points."

"Pressure points? That's what we're here to learn? I could've done that in Nerima from Dr Tofu!"

"Ahh boy, while pressure points will eventually come into play I am not here solely for their teaching. I believe what I have to teach you will be of greater interest to you boy." By now Xian-Pu could barely contain her excitement. "I tried to teach Xian-Pu once before on a training trip much like this one, however she was too young and couldn't fully grasp what I was asking her, a certain level of maturity is required." Finally Xian-Pu couldn't hold back any longer.

"Are you really going to teach us Ki blasts Great-Grandmother?!" Ku-Lon only seemed mildly irritated at the interruption but quickly composed herself.

"I was building up to it for a tad more drama but yes that will be the main goal of this trip, I hope you will both be able to form your own emotional Ki attack." Ranma had been fully interested by now but that last part made him pause.

"What do emotions have to do with Ki?" Ku-Lon gave him a knowing smirk.

"More than you could ever imagine boy." Ranma seemed satisfied by the vague answer.

"Alright then, this sounds pretty cool, let's start!"

"Don't rush ahead of yourself Ranma, one of the key components of such Ki attacks are patience on the part of the wielder. This is something I imagine will also be needed and helped by the second goal of this trip." Once again the two teens looked on expectantly, imaginations trying to unravel what Ku-Lon might teach them before she even said it.

"Ranma, don't you think it's about time you overcame your crippling fear of Cats?"

Ranma was lying idly on a high bough of the tallest tree he could find nearby, Xian-Pu was contentedly lying on top of him; both had their eyes to the sky. It was a full moon and the strong light from the hanging orb in the black sky cast an eerie yet peaceful glow over the forest for as far as they could both see. It was late autumn and the trees had already begun casting off their leaves but the ones that clung desperately to the last modicum of their dignity shone with brilliant reds and autumnal yellows even in the much fainter light of the night.

"Airen, do you believe Great-Grandmother?"

"About what?"

"That you can really overcome fear of cats?" He sighed, Ranma had hoped they wouldn't talk about this and he knew exactly why Xian-Pu was doing it.

"Xian-Pu is this because of your cursed form?" It was Xian-Pu's turn to sigh as she shifted her position so now her stomach was pressing against Ranma's and her eyes were looking up into his.

"It something that Xian-Pu think about often, that of all curses in Jusenkyo, she get one that make Ranma hate her." Even Ranma had to admit that was some strange twist of fate.

"Does it really matter though? You heard the guide, in a weak or two we'll both never have to think about our curses again." Xian-Pu stared off at the treetops below them, with melancholy across her face.

"Ranma, what if Xian-Pu tell you, no, what if Xian-Pu say she no want to get rid of curse?" Ranma nearly fell out of the tree in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" He couldn't imagine having a worse curse that Xian-Pu's, the very thing he hated more than anything in the world.

"Ranma no understand because he hate cats. Is freedom like no other, when Xian-Pu cat she have no obligation, no responsibility, no cares. Nobody expect anything of cat and when chasing you it was only freedom Xian-Pu had from life." Ranma never realised before just how much his continued rejection of her advances had impacted the girl's life. "If Ranma no fear cat anymore, then Xian-Pu no have to cure curse."

"But what if I can't do it? Would you give it up anyway?" She sighed, even heavier than before and again took a moment to stare out over the beautiful nightscape.

"Xian-Pu do anything to be with Airen, even give up blessing." It was the first time Ranma had heard anything bestowed on somebody from Jusenkyo anything other than a curse, even the guide called the area the Cursed Springs of Jusenkyo, not the Blessed Springs. She looked up at him, curiosity replacing the melancholy in her eyes. "Why Ranma want to give up own curse?" It seemed to him like the stupidest question in the world.

"Because I'm a guy!" She continued that same curious look, yet there was something else behind her eyes, something he couldn't quite work out.

"Is that only reason? Cat is more different to girl than girl is to boy. At least Ranma still human, at least you still can talk and control your life." The logic of her words bit into him.

"But-" she cut him off quickly.

"Does Ranma think Girl inferior to Boy? Is that why he hate girl type?"

"Well-" once again she wouldn't let him interrupt.

"Has Ranma ever lost fight as girl he couldn't win as boy?"

"Well, no-" he was becoming flustered, she had never gone this long without referring to him as 'Airen'.

"Then why Ranma hate girl-type so much?"

"BECAUSE IT ISN'T ME!" The ferocity of his voice only surprised him. He felt slightly weird at finally being heard but Xian-Pu barely noticed; she had expected the reply.

"Xian-Pu can no see difference, Airen is Airen, no matter what he or she look like. Maybe Ranma need to learn that for himself." She left him like that, flustered and unsure of himself as she gracefully hopped down from the tree until she was out of sight. Ranma barely moved for the next half hour, so lost was he in his own thoughts.

When he did finally rouse himself and move back to the campsite Xian-Pu was already asleep in their tent, curled up around herself in the sleeping bag. He quietly slipped in besides her, not wanting to disturb the girl that had sent his emotions into a tumultuous mess. Sleep didn't find him for a while after that, there was too much to think about.

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**Author's Note: reviews...Reviews...Reviews!...REVIEWS! - You know, if you have time :)**


	25. Chapter 25

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I think I'm finally over my clone, it was a long and difficult recovery but... nah, just kidding only knew the thing for like, a day, Mayflies live longer than that.

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In Ranma's opinion Ku-Lon woke them far too early, perhaps it was his fault for falling asleep so late but he wasn't going to admit that any time soon. Despite it being so long he still wasn't used to not waking up to a bucket full of cold water; call it fourteen years of ingrained routine. Maybe Ku-Lon had sensed this, or more likely she had a twisted sense of humour as this was exactly the way she decided to wake him up. Ranma was angry but neither realised the old woman's true mistake until they both heard a quite mewling from Ranma's right.

Needless to say it took nearly the next hour of their morning to calm Ranma-Neko down and bring him out of the damnable Cat Fist style. Ku-Lon apologised for her mistake, a very, very rare lapse of judgment on her part and an equally uncommon apology. Everyone was annoyed that a good portion of their day had been wasted; the training trip really wasn't off to the best start.

Once again they were all sitting around the fire except Ranma was in his girl form. He had the opportunity to change back when Xian-Pu had but something about her words from last night stuck with him and he had decided against it, much to Ku-Lon's quiet amusement. They quietly ate dinner, each a mixture between thinking about their own concerns and simply not having anything to say to the others.

It was a simple meal, just some Ramen noodles and rice but the two Amazon's extreme skill in cooking showed through as even this neutral dish found incredible flavour. It was a testament to Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon's sheer diversity, something that Ranma was quickly finding to be the Amazon's forte. Once they were finished with the meal Ku-Lon wasted no time getting started, too much had been thrown away already.

"Alright, despite that momentary set-back earlier we still have the next week to work on both aspects of our trip. I believe it would be best to allocate the mornings to our Ki practises and the afternoons to Ranma's fear training. I'm hoping that the added tiredness he will feel will make him less inclined to run away from the cat." Ranma's ears perked up at this.

"Y-You brought a c-c-cat?" Ku-Lon simply looked at him oddly.

"Of course, I'm sure Xian-Pu will be more than happy to lend her cursed form for your training purposes." Ranma could have hit himself on the head for being so stupid. Of course it would be Xian-Pu as the cat, they would try and use the trust between them to bridge the gap between his view of cats and their true nature. Ranma wasn't at all sure such a tactic would work but he could at least see the reasoning behind it do he nodded.

"Anyway, that is for later, for now we should focus on Ki. This won't be at all like learning normal techniques which is why I believe that you two can learn it together, I'm afraid your incredible memory won't serve you here Ranma. Ki manipulation isn't something you can just practise over and over until you get it right, there is a certain level of understanding required to first learn, and then master it."

All earlier irritation or coldness in the teens that was left over from the morning was gone, they were truly interested. Whilst Xian-Pu had seen the fullest extent of Ki manipulation from the various elders in the village Ranma appreciated it just as much. If he could fight an enemy without even touching them then it would be all he needed to really put him on top as a master martial artist.

"As I briefly said yesterday, a cornerstone of Ki energy is emotion. This is why one can actually change the emotions of another through Ki manipulation. If I may demonstrate?" Both teens looked uncertainly at one another but Ranma still had that stipulation about helping out Xian-Pu whenever her could so it was he who stood up and walked around to where Ku-Lon sat. "Very noble of you boy, now like you said earlier, a lot of these Shiatsu techniques are indeed simply remembering where on the body the pressure points are. For example, this is the bouncing puppy point."

Ranma felt a brief pressure on the back of his spine, it was nothing special but after a delayed reaction a strange warmth spread from the point of contact. It ran down his arms and legs, warming his extremities despite the brisk morning air. When it reached his face he let out a loud gasp before slumping to the floor. When he picked himself up a large smile played itself across his features, he couldn't get rid of it because he didn't want to. Why should he? Life was too good not to smile your way through it, he had a girl who loved him unconditionally, a woman willing to train him in secret styles of martial arts and the world was bright and shining.

"Of course overexposure to these pressure points can have negative consequences on the brains ability to determine its own emotions, something Ranma already has trouble with as it is." She pressed another point not too far away from the original and this time Ranma felt the inverse effect. The unnatural warmth left his body, receding along the same paths it had taken in the first place. It was no less shocking this time when the strange veil that had passed over his mind was lifted and he once again fell to the floor, feeling somewhat disappointed at the loss of the good feelings.

"These mood altering techniques run the full spectrum of human emotion from anger to lust and from depression to unadulterated happiness. Some men spend years whiling away the time in a dreamy haze after messing with their own emotions for too long, finally dying in their own self-induced illusion of whatever emotional state they chose." Ranma recovered quickly from his drug-like euphoria.

"And what does this have to do with energy blasts?" Ku-Lon tsked.

"You really will have to work on that impatience of yours Ranma, but if you must know. As one can manipulate Ki to induce emotion, the exact same is true of the inverse. Strong enough emotion is enough to actually manipulate Ki by itself. This is the reason that depressed people only seem to sink lower and lower into their own misery whilst truly content people are untouched by the world's problems. Remarkably, that Tendo girl's sister Kasumi has actually managed to find an inner peace that has been sought after by millions for eons. It is the same principle although how one so average managed to stumble upon such a thing is beyond even me."

"So what your saying is that is someone feels something very strongly they'll start shooting energy out of their hands?"

"Oh no, nothing as simple as that. Building up the emotional Ki is merely the first aspect of a Ki blast; the next and possibly most difficult part of the technique is focusing that Ki through your body. I will take one such move as an example, the Shishi Hokodan. It is an emotional attack based off of absolute depression. Sadness makes ones Ki heavy-"

"Wait, heavy? How can Ki be heavy?"

"It would be nice if you didn't interrupt me Ranma, but since you asked again. Yes, Ki can be heavy and as you already know it can be either hot or cold. Cold Ki, like depression tends to be heavier than hot Ki, like anger or lust. Much in the same way that Hot air rises and cool air falls. I chose the Shishi Hokodan because the wielder can actually use the density of their Ki to move it through their bodies, focusing it in their midsection through arms crossed over their chest and then channelling it out through their arms."

"Well that doesn't sound too hard."

"That's because it isn't, the Shishi Hokodan is one of the easiest Ki blasts one can learn, however it comes with a terrible burden. To master such a move one must surrender themselves completely to their own depression, letting it drag them down until they can't sink any lower. To lose oneself to complete and smothering sadness like that is a fate worse than death and I have always believed that nothing is worth such a cost. No, it would be better for you two to stick to lighter emotions that don't carry such risk."

"Like what?" the question was asked simultaneously by both teens.

"I do not know, one's emotions are personal and their own. The feeling that you can best bring forth in a Ki blast is something you two will have to figure out on your own. This will be your first hurdle in training, to see if there is one emotion that you could completely surrender yourself to at any given moment, It would have to be strong, something you experience on a daily basis yet at the same time it must be something you can make tangible, not some obscure emotion that is unexplainable in words." Both teens shared a look.

"I will give you the rest of the morning to contemplate this, come back for lunch and we will talk about what you have discovered." She said it very sagely before hopping of towards the river for some unknown purpose. Ranma stared at Xian-Pu and she stared back, both were equally mystified as the other.

"What Ranma think his key emotion?" He tried to look contemplative and deep for moment but failed miserably.

"I have no idea, what about you?" She too seemed at a loss for what her Great Grandmother was asking.

"Xian-Pu no know, how can one have a single defining characteristic?" Her head suddenly shot up, startling Ranma. "Xian-Pu have idea, we should figure out each other emotion, then we no be bias!" Ranma had to admit it was a good idea and made sense but he really wasn't sure he was up to thinking about the girl in front of him so thoroughly. However Xian-Pu didn't give him the option as she took off to find somewhere quite in order to think about her Airen.

Ranma figured that with everybody else gone he didn't need to bother moving so he lay down on his back and started to give it some serious thought. First he tried the obvious, what did he think of when he thought about Xian-Pu? That quickly became a dead end, all he could see were visual prompts, memories, images of them talking, or some of their more intimate moments. There were emotions there of course but they were all his, no interpretations of the Amazon's own feelings.

He tried a different tact, he ran through a list of emotions. Sadness; no she was far too happy. Love; while it was a possibility it didn't really seem all that practical in a fight. Happiness; no, the same problem. Ranma wasn't a particularly complex person when it came to emotions and he was quickly running out.

He was stuck in this same continuous loop of thought quickly becoming frustrated to the point he had to pace just to stop himself from ripping out a few trees. It had been an hour now and he wasn't any closer to his answer, why was it so hard to figure out the lavender-haired Amazon he had come to know over the last year and especially in the last month.

It was Xian-Pu, the girl who had chased him across all of China and a lot of Japan when she wanted to kill him and the girl who had weathered it out when he had spurned her many advances. She had to resort to using long-shot plans and quick-fire remedies to win him over because, well, he had left him no choice. But she had stuck it out with him through everything and-.

Something clicked in the back of Ranma's mind, he had it. Apparently he wasn't alone in his epiphany as Xian-Pu came charging out of the tree line, it reminded him of the days in Nerima when she would tackle him out of nowhere into a big hug. However this time she stopped in front of him, leaving Ranma almost disappointed, a small part of him had actually wanted her to glomp him like the old days, except he guessed that her not doing so validated his hypothesis somewhat.

"Airen, Xian-Pu think she have it!"

"Huh, yeah I guess I have yours as well." She smiled at that, happy that Ranma had actually thought about her enough to do so. He motioned for her to go first.

"Well Xian-Pu think long and hard, it a lot more difficult that Xian-Pu originally thought to figure out Airen but she realise that it thing she find too too appealing in Ranma. Xian-Pu think Airen's key emotion confidence!" He thought about it a moment but he couldn't argue with it, it just seemed to fit him, like the idea was instantly appealing to him. He definitely exuded confidence in fights, why shouldn't he? He was Ranma Saotome after all; he would be crazy not to be confident.

"I like it, it just seems... right." Xian-Pu seemed happy at his praise. "I think I have yours as well, you were right about it taking a lot of thought but I realised that it was staring at me all along, in everything you do, be it good or bad you are always determined, in everything."

"Determination" She sounded out the unfamiliar word, she knew it's meaning of course and like Ranma only a few minutes before she realised it was perfect for her. "Xian-Pu love it!" It was true, in everything she did, be it cooking, fighting, getting rid of Mu-Tzu or chasing Ranma, she never lost her determination to succeed.

They both chatted for a bit as they walked over to the river where they last saw Ku-Lon, mostly about how the other had stumbled upon the realisation. Strangely they both found it had occurred in similar ways, they had become frustrated, desperate and irate and something just clicked in their mind, as if the fact should have been obvious from the start. Ku-Lon was waiting for them, surrounded by a lot of jugs all filled with water, some were steaming, others weren't.

"So how did you two get on?" They explained what they had found and Ku-Lon seemed satisfied with the results. "And you two came up with each other's key emotions?" They nodded. "That was very smart, but we will see just how accurate they are tomorrow. For now we will eat and then proceed with the other half of today's training.

Ranma was nervous all throughout lunch, he was dreading what came next, surely Ku-Lon wouldn't just put a cat in front of him and expect him to just stand there, taking it. He couldn't do it, he just couldn't, if the mere thought of the training was making him so nervous there was no way it was going to work. Xian-Pu sensed Ranma's anxiety and sidled a bit closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. His heart rate slowed and his breathing returned to some modicum of normality however inside he was still just as frayed.

The moment of truth came as they all finished eating and Ku-Lon brought the three into the middle of the clearing with a few of the jugs, both hot and cold water. They sat down as they had done in the morning and waited for Ku-Lon to begin.

"I wouldn't have you worry Ranma, I am not going to throw you in at the deep end and whilst I am a dedicated teacher I am not an idiot. We will work in baby steps. I brought you out here so that if you do go Neko, as you did this morning, the damage will be minimized. First I would like to talk about your fear." Ranma nodded, it was an approach he hadn't been expecting, not at all Ku-Lon's normal style.

"You fear cats because of the Nekoken training your father put you through as a child. This is unfortunate because in reality most fears are unfounded and irrational; this makes the common moniker of 'face your fears' the easiest way to rid oneself of it. Because yours is based in a scarring and traumatic experience such a method will not work as all that will do it bring you back to your time in that awful pit, your real fear." Ranma was uncertain about her last remark.

"What do you mean my real fear?" Instead of looking at him like he had asked something idiotic her face took on a kind, gentle tone.

"I mean that you do not fear cats Ranma, you fear the helplessness that your mind associates with them. You have not realised it before because you are a stable and powerful individual who rarely ever had need to feel helpless or vulnerable. If you did then I would suspect you'd suffer a similar reaction as you do when facing a cat." Ranma though on this for a second, he supposed it could be true. When he saw a cat he did flash back to those times in the pit, surrounded by hungry cats, completely unable to defend himself from their claws or teeth.

"This is merely a hypothesis but I believe the Nekoken relies on this fear to trigger an internal change in you. It draws on a body's natural desire to overcome fear in any way possible. In your case it is to assume the mentality of exactly that which you fear, as it is impossible to fear one's self. I am saying this now both as a warning and a certainty, if you overcome your fear of cat's Ranma, it is most likely you will completely lose the Cat Fist technique." Ranma gulped but nodded his head.

"It wasn't worth it anyway, I'm way too vulnerable while I'm like that and even if I am starting to remember what happened in that form, if I can't control it, it's useless." Ku-Lon nodded in understanding.

"Good, then you are ready to begin. I have a few ways I believe I can help you Ranma but I would like to start with one in particular. We need to get your mind to stop associating cats with that night and shift the connection. We need your mind to associate cats with something more positive, I think if we work on it that association can be with Xian-Pu." He looked at her quizzically.

"Look at Xian-Pu Ranma." He did so, however hesitantly and she looked back. "It is a good thing that a strong bond has been growing between the two of you for a while now; we will need to draw on that. Keep looking at Xian-Pu Ranma and get a good mental image of her in your mind." He could have told her that was unnecessary; the Image of Xian-Pu was already burned into his mind like everything else in his life, but a little stronger.

Her lilac eyes that sparkled whether it was sunny or pitch black. The way her mouth's default position had a small upwards inflection at the ends. Her skin that looked dazzling without make-up and stunning with it. Her hair that flowed in locks that merged into one unintelligible shimmering mass that hung elegantly down her back, even in the morning when a few stray hairs would escape that mass and try to escape. A blush worked its way onto Xian-Pu's cheeks under her Airen's continued scrutiny and in turn one supplanted itself above the bridge of his nose.

"Good, now I really need you to hold onto that image Ranma as I change Xian-Pu into her cat form." Ranma immediately became a mess of nerves, his fingers twitched uncontrollably and he started blinking a lot more than usual. "I'm going to bring her over to the other side of the clearing, all we need from you right now is to become used to her presence."

Ku-Lon did just that, her and Xian-Pu made their way over to the other end of the clearing and water was promptly poured over the girl. Ranma knew exactly what would emerge from those waters, as much as Xian-Pu was engrained in his memory; the same was true for her cursed form. Sure enough a small white bundle of fur rolled out from inside Xian-Pu's clothes. Even at this great distance Ranma had to fight the uncontrollable urge to flee from the terrifying feline. When Ku-Lon was satisfied Ranma wasn't going anywhere she called to him.

"I'm slowly going to bring her closer Ranma, remember what I told you and superimpose Xian-Pu over the cat. Remember that Xian-Pu would never harm you, so why should she now?" Ranma was barely listening as he continued to fight his own urges by rooting his fingers into the ground. Ku-Lon did as she said and slowly walked toward Ranma, Xian-Pu followed, never moving in front of the older woman in fear of driving her Airen off. The way he was looking at her now was hurting her inside but she was doing this for his own good.

When they were halfway across the clearing Ranma attempted to do what was asked of him and place the image of Xian-Pu over the cat, unfortunately that meant looking at her directly. Both Ku-Lon and Xian-Pu groaned in frustration as from across the clearing they both heard a single meow.

Each attempt after that grew steadily more successful, ultimately Ranma would turn Neko and Ku-Lon would have to douse him to snap him out of it. Eventually they grew so successful that Xian-Pu could sit right in front of Ranma without him turning as long as she remained absolutely motionless. It was massive progress and Ku-Lon moved on to the next step.

"Ranma, I want you to pet Xian-Pu." He just stared at her, as did Xian-Pu.

"W-W-What?"

"You heard me, stroke her, maintain Xian-Pu's image and imagine you are simply running your hands through her hair." A while ago Ranma had managed to figure out the superimposing of Xian-Pu over her cat form. It was in no small part due to the conversation they had had on the tree last night. If she could look at his girl form and make no distinctions between that and him as a male then he should be able to do the same for her.

With that determination in mind he reached out a trembling hand toward Xian-Pu's imagined purple hair and tentatively began running his hand across it in a fluid, if shaky, motion. Ku-Lon was extremely impressed, she had expected that particular jump to take at least a few more tries, perhaps the boy could do this quicker than she thought. Unfortunately one little involuntary reaction ruined both those thoughts as Xian-Pu instinctually purred at the petting form Ranma.

Whilst the boy was perfectly happy envisioning Xian-Pu over the cat, blocking out the noise was a whole different issue. He wasn't expecting it and therefore hadn't prepared against it, immediately he was sent straight back to that day, down in the pit, in the dark, where he had heard that noise so often. Ku-Lon sighed deeply as Ranma bolted for a nearby tree; she figured that was enough training for the day.


	26. Chapter 26

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I made a promise to myself today, just thought I would let you guys know.

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Both Ranma and Xian-Pu awoke bright-eyed and ready for the day ahead of them, despite their slow progress yesterday the two were determined to put their all into whatever came next in their training. After a breakfast of fish caught from the river using Ranma's Amaguriken and some wild mushrooms which Ku-Lon assured them were safe, they all sat around the fire letting their meal go down.

"Now that you two have picked a key emotion to focus on, we need to discuss exactly what you will do with that feeling to make it tangible." Ranma squinted at the old woman.

"I've been thinking about this, what exactly do you mean tangible? What actually happens when you use one of these Ki blasts?" Ku-Lon had predicted the question and had come prepared. She stood up and walked away from them, a good distance away from them in fact. She stood on her staff at the far side of the clearing facing at ninety degrees to the two teens.

The old woman closed her eyes for a moment with her arms outstretched either side of her. Her index finger and thumb on each hand formed a circle and Ranma could actually see a slight haze around them before each hand erupted into a blaze of white light. She threw each hand forward and the blazing light elongated into two white tendrils. These rope-like Ki manifestations snaked themselves around a nearby tree, wrapping it up in loop after loop of the same energy.

The glow from Ku-Lon's hands faded but the tree remained tied up in Ki that didn't dissipate as one might expect. She hopped back to the two awe struck teenagers who stared at the still-bound tree with open mouths. Ranma was the first to recover.

"What emotion was that?!" Ku-Lon chuckled quietly.

"Wouldn't you like to know Son-in-law. Now every Ki manifestation is different depending on the emotion. If I take yesterday's example of the Shishi Hokoudan then it appears as a sphere that remains in the users hands which expands rapidly when struck to blast back ones opponent. That being said, I am almost as interested as you are to see how your respective emotions with represent themselves." Both teens nodded agreeing completely with the woman.

"Now comes the truly difficult part, you must envision your chosen emotion as an entity which best suits it and then project that image in whatever way you can. Many people choose animals that embody the feeling; others choose objects if they think it is better suited. I'll give you a few moments to try and think of something, I recommend you do not do what you did yesterday, the envisionment must be the practitioners own, or the image will not be strong enough to focus the Ki."

She left to go get some water from the river and the two teens started to ponder her words in silence. This was very strange for Ranma, not at all how he imagined the training trip would be. He wasn't used to so much thinking over his techniques; it was always just a case of learning them, doing them, and perfecting them. It annoyed him but he put those thoughts aside to concentrate on the task at hand.

His mind stuck on her mentions of animals as prompts for the techniques, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out which animal best represented confidence. It would obviously have to be a predator, but nothing that preyed on the weak, and no carrion eaters either. He tried to think of an animal that attacked something better than itself in one aspect or another, as that was true confidence, starting a fight against the odds.

It struck him instantly; it was much easier than actually figuring out the emotion involved. He looked over at Xian-Pu and smiled, she didn't return the gesture. In fact she seemed a lot more troubled by the task at hand. He could understand why, one particular animal didn't really stand out for him as being 'determined', but perhaps she was taking a different route. He got up to give her some space, after all that helped her last time. He went over to where Ku-Lon was having a drink of tea next to the stream.

"I think I have my focus." Ku-Lon chuckled at the remark. "What's so funny? I did as you asked."

"It's merely ironic that the way you said it wasn't all that confident, you will have to change that if you are to master this technique boy." Ranma's blood boiled as it did when somebody inferred he couldn't learn any technique, if it was martial arts then he could learn and master it!

"It's a tiger, my focus is a tiger!" Ku-Lon looked genuinely thoughtful.

"Interesting, a creature that hunts a variety of animals, each with characteristics that make it superior to the tiger in one way, but none of them overcoming it. The deer that is faster, the monkey that is more agile, and the boar that is more resilient. It seems you have actually chosen wisely boy, this may work."

"Of course it will work." The older woman smiled.

"That's the right idea. How is Xian-Pu finding it?" They both looked in the girl's direction; she was still deep in thought.

"I don't know but I don't think very well, determination sounds like a hard one." Ku-Lon looked pensive.

"A shame too, it fits her so perfectly." Ranma could only agree. They were both surprised by the sudden movement in front of them as Xian-Pu jumped up in joy.

"Aiyah, Ranma, Great Grandmother, Xian-Pu have it!" They both walked over, highly intrigued. "At first Xian-Pu could no think of any one thing to represent determination, so she think harder. What behind determination? Refusal to quit or stubbornness!" Ranma and Ku-Lon nodded along to the logic. "So then Xian-Pu realise answer is easy. What more stubborn than Rock?!" Ku-Lon once again assessed the answer thoroughly.

"Yes, that could definitely work, stubborn as a rock is a common enough expression after all." She smiled, looking pleased at the two young martial artists who both looked very satisfied with themselves. "Now normally I would ask of my student to try and focus their Ki in their own way but as I fear this may take you both some time to get used to I will help get your mindsets in the right place." She took a step toward Ranma.

"Right boy, for your technique you must first build your confidence, feel it swirling around you, silent and unnoticed like the Tiger stalking its prey. Then you must release it all when it reaches a critical point straight forward, this will be the sudden attacking force that the Tiger employs." Ranma seemed unsure on how exactly to put that into effect but he nodded and wandered across the clearing to try it out.

"Now Great-Granddaughter I believe you should focus on the density of the Rock, draw in as much of that stubbornness as you can into a single concentrated point before releasing it outwards as a wave, as opposed to Ranma's I am not entirely sure how yours will manifest. I suspect it will be a safe bet to draw the Ki into your core, the centre of your body as Rocks aren't all that picky about their parts."

Like Ranma before her Xian-Pu wandered into an area of the clearing, struggling with what exactly she had to do. Ku-Lon watched with some amusement as the two teens wandered rather aimlessly struggling with concepts way out of their individual comfort zones.

* * *

It was almost lunch and the only one of the two who had made any amount of progress with their technique was Ranma who had finally figured out how to direct the energy he gathered around himself but he had been so worried when doing so that his confidence faltered and all that emerged from his hands was a pitiful ball of sickly yellow energy that popped pathetically after one or two seconds of strained life.

Xian-Pu on the other hand wasn't getting anywhere with her technique, she felt like giving up which definitely wasn't helping her determination at all. Ranma had tried to help her after he screwed up his own technique but she shot him down with a ferocity that was the result of frustration. Ku-Lon was tempted to let them go at it a little longer but Ki manipulation was tiring and energy consuming, they would need to eat soon anyway, not to mention they had to get on with the rest of the day's training.

The two teens were both frustrated by the time they sat down to eat and their moods only worsened as they realised what the now had to do. Once refuelled they once again set out to try and rid Ranma of his fear. They tried the same tactic as they had before; he had made progress with it so they saw no reason why not.

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By the end of it all they had Ranma at the point where he could actually stroke Xian-Pu on his lap without running way and even better, without turning Neko. Unfortunately the only way he could do even that was to have a perfect image of Xian-Pu in his mind that not only compensated for her image, but for her sounds as well, something that was incredibly difficult and tiring for the boy.

Ku-Lon hoped that with more time he would need the illusion less and less rather than more but one thing could be said, after it all Xian-Pu's mood had improved greatly from the repeated pettings from Ranma. When she finally turned back into her human form she had a look of utter bliss on her face and an empty, trance-like mind that was completely free from thought. Ranma could only just snap her out of it when they went for their nightly talk up in the tree.

"Shampoo, what was that all about with the look and being so non-responsive?" She still had some of that haze over her eyes but at least she was actually listening to what he was saying.

"Sorry Ranma, you've never been scratched behind the ears as a cat, there's no real way to compare it to anything." Actually there was one thing the Amazon could definitely compare it to but she thought that would only make Ranma uncomfortable.

"Whatever." Ranma was sure it couldn't have been that good but when he looked over at the look of utter peace in Xian-Pu's face he reconsidered. "So Xian-Pu, what's it actually like, you know, being a cat?" He was proud that he had managed to stop stuttering when he said the word.

"It amazing, nothing like it in world. When Xian-Pu a cat, she have no responsibility. Xian-Pu no know if it because of curse but something in Xian-Pu change when she is cat, Xian-Pu more carefree. Is true embodiment of freedom made flesh." Her words startled him; he still just couldn't wrap his head around what Xian-Pu was talking about, to accept her curse so readily was almost unthinkable.

"But isn't it a weakness? In a fight one splash from cold water and your defenceless?" Xian-Pu looked at Ranma oddly.

"Airen, you think Xian-Pu want to be warrior forever? Xian-Pu want to be good wife for husband, is it so bad if Xian-Pu enjoy being cat in free time?"

"I thought all Amazons were warriors? Also you live in a dangerous area, what if bandits or something attack?" Xian-Pu smiled and nuzzled in closer to Ranma, something he hadn't been expecting as a reaction.

"Xian-Pu know Airen would never let her get hurt, even as cat." She looked down for a moment. "Ranma, Xian-Pu want to say sorry for way she talk yesterday, Xian-Pu should have understood what Ranma felt and why he want to be cured." He too looked away.

"Yeah and I guess I shouldn't have assumed you'd want to get rid of the curse just because I do. Maybe we were both in the wrong." Xian-Pu giggled.

"Ranma so noble, even when Xian-Pu apologise Ranma still make it his fault." He smiled at her, her good mood now infectious.

"I can't help it I guess, is it really that obvious?"

"Xian-Pu no mind." She snuggled in closer once more as Ranma started to think to himself. After a while he noticed she had actually drifted off to sleep, forgetting where exactly they were. He laughed and picked her up, while she may have been comfortable he certainly wasn't. His back practically hurt as he remembered the last time he slept propped up against a tree.

* * *

The next day went much the same way as the previous. Ranma steadily improved his technique to the point he overcame his worries about doing it. In fact he realised that simply believing he could do it actually made it more possible. Exactly the opposite Xian-Pu continued to struggle with the first step of her technique, frustration winning out over determination. Not knowing exactly how her Ki should be manifesting in the first place wasn't helping.

Likewise, in the afternoon Ranma continued to develop his resistance to cats. He could now stand holding Xian-Pu but his feet remained firmly rooted to the ground, unwilling to move. And exactly how Ku-Lon had hoped he would slowly need the illusion less as time passed he only seemed more reliant on it. He needed a push, something that would finally get him to see the cat as Xian-Pu and nothing else.

It was something for her to ponder on as they all ate dinner. It was always the quietest part of the day with each member of the group having their own worries to think about. However today the teens altered their routine by taking a long bath in the hot-spring instead of their usual spot up on the tree. They came back more relaxed but no less concerned about the days ahead. Both needed to make serious progress if the trip was to be a success on both fronts.


	27. Chapter 27

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I wonder what Justin Beiber's doing right about now? Well I know it isn't being shot repeatedly by an SMG, I have that scheduled for Tuesday.

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***** Those reading this who previously read my 'other' chapter 26 before I updated it you may want to check it again; I removed the old one and updated it with a whole new chapter. Don't bother if you didn't read Chapter 26 until after 07/10/12 *****

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The next day began just as the last, with them all waking up, enjoying breakfast and once again working on their respective techniques under Ku-Lon's watchful gaze. Ranma continued to improve steadily, growing more and more confident with every ball of light that formed between his hands. He had to take breaks every now and then to regain his strength as he quickly found out that burning Ki was akin to about twenty minutes of exercise.

It was Xian-Pu who really worried Ku-Lon; she continued to show very little signs of improvement. However she knew that if she intervened she might make thing worse for the girl so she held back. Instead she focused on Ranma, trying to figure out what exactly was holding the boy back from unleashing his full potential, as opposed to these rather weak little flickers of light. She knew that it would only take one successful attempt for the boy and that would be it, once he knew he could do it then he would be able to do it whenever he liked.

Perhaps he was under a bit of pressure from her and Xian-Pu's presence, maybe if they were to leave him to it he could psych himself up sufficiently to perform the move. It couldn't really hurt so she hopped over to where Xian-Pu stood frustrated, still attempting her own move, still with no success. She explained her idea and Xian-Pu tiredly agreed, they moved away from Ranma toward the hot spring shouting to the pigtailed boy at the last minute they were going for a bath.

Ranma waved them off and returned to his concentration, he just couldn't figure out what was wrong with what he was doing. He could channel the Ki just fine, there just didn't seem to be enough of it around. Was it his confidence that was the problem? No that was impossible, maybe he had been a bit nervous around Xian-Pu at first and of course he didn't want to look like a fool in front of her. Then again she was gone now so that was no longer the issue right?

He turned his attention back to the tree he was trying to practise on, perhaps that was the problem, maybe he just didn't feel right targeting a helpless tree, it was hardly a good use of his time or skill after all. Instead he took a leaf out of Ku-Lon's teachings and superimposed something else over the tree. Instead of a flimsy wooden rod with a bit of foliage on top, there now stood a large, toned boy in yellow and black clothing holding a stupid orange parasol umbrella.

Ranma smiled, he might have even fooled himself the image was so good. He smiled wickedly at the fake lost boy, who better to imagine than him? He had never lost to the unnaturally strong teen before, why would it happen now? He pulled back into his stance, starting to feel the warm, light Ki begin swirling around him. Next he drew in that Ki, but for once something was different, he didn't feel as though there was a limit to the Ki he could pull in; even as he felt the energy channel into his hands he was still drawing it out of the air.

He imagined this was only a good thing and continued; his confidence rose even more, even as he felt this, the energy in his surroundings thickened and he could suck it in even more quickly. He felt incredible, alive and so powerful. His spirits lifted and just as they reached their peak his hands shot out so fast he didn't realise what he was doing and would have missed it.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!"

Yellow light pooled in his hands, swelling in seconds to the size of a small car before shooting out as a beam about the same width. Everything in its path was either burned into cinders or crushed under the sheer concussive force of the blast. Ranma dropped to his knees, feeling more drained than it felt right to be, but at the same time he felt just as incredible as he had while the energy was building up.

He had done it. Of course he knew he would, it was only a matter of time, nevertheless it still felt brilliant to be able to say it to himself. He wanted to do it again but the exertion might just kill him, there was only so much Ki in the body as Ku-Lon had told him and overuse of it would slowly drain the life out of him. However tomorrow he would do it again, this time working on drawing in the energy faster, it would be no use in a fight if he was forced to stand motionless as the Ki pooled within him. Maybe he could develop a moving version, it shouldn't be too hard to focus on more than one thing at once, it was what made his Amaguriken so effective after all.

Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon came rushing down the path from the hot-spring; they had heard the almighty commotion and had come to investigate. Both of them made a move toward Ranma, who was still slumped on the ground regaining his energy. However they both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw just what the pigtailed martial artist had managed to do. Sure they had seen a large yellow light emerge from his position but they never imagined anything on this scale.

The path of destruction looked like an elephant stampede followed by a team of arsonists. There was a path of destruction through the tree line about seven feet in width. They couldn't even tell how far the shot had gone on for as it sloped upwards slightly, the burning path exiting the forest above the tree tops without losing any intensity. Ku-Lon might have looked impressed if she didn't have years of training to keep her emotions in check.

Xian-PU wasn't fortunate enough to have such discipline, with her jaw still hanging open she rushed the now wearily standing boy, picking him up in a large hug that he couldn't have protested to if he tried.

"Airen do it! It so incredible!" He smiled cheekily up at her despite his fatigue.

"Yeah, I guess it was sorta cool." She dropped to the ground with him, laughing, but that soon petered off as she remembered her own difficulties with the technique. Ranma had actually managed to fire off the Ki blast and she still hadn't even managed to pull of the first stage. Ranma noticed the change and lifted her chin with his finger. "Hey don't worry about it Xian-Pu, I'm sure you'll get it, maybe you just need to try a different emotion, we still got time after all."

Xian-Pu's eyes shot up, the sadness was gone, instead there burned a deep anger.

"What, Ranma suddenly get technique and Xian-Pu no can do?"

"What? Xian-Pu no-"

"Ranma no only martial artist in world!"

"Wait-" Ranma felt something around Xian-Pu, a shimmer that hadn't been there before.

"Xian-Pu no give up because she have difficulty!"

"But-" that feeling was growing much stronger now and Ranma could even feel himself growing weaker for some reason.

"Xian-Pu never give up anything, she never give up on Ranma, she never give up in fight and she not give up now!"

"Xian-Pu you have to stop!" Ranma had finally realised what it was, the Ki was being drawn out of the air, except he himself had done that not moments ago and without a suitable source to draw from, Xian-Pu was pulling the life energy right out of the nearest concentration, him.

"KAKOGAN BARIKEDO-HA!" The world around Ranma erupted into blinding blue light as searing pain shot through the skin on his front side. He was blasted backwards and flew through the air, he probably would have kept flying for a good amount of time if it weren't for the obstructions in the form of trees blocking the way. He smashed through a good number of them but unfortunately there were more resisting trees than he had momentum.

He managed to cling to consciousness long enough to see a ball of hazy blue light back the way he could come from. It was fuzzy, like the rest of his vision but he could make out a faint, darker form standing at its centre. That was his last thought before he slipped out of the waking world, that and that the world underneath him felt far too fluid.

Xian-Pu opened her eyes; it was strange that she didn't remember closing them. She felt strangely invigorated but the extra energy quickly dissipated and she was left feeling, well, normal was the only way to describe it. Her joints felt a little stiff so she rolled her neck once or twice, but on the third roll she stopped. Her eyes now firmly open she looked around at the destruction she had wrought.

She was standing in a crater, sort of. It was if she were in the centre of a massive crater except for the three feet of completely unharmed and healthy looking ground in every direction, centred on her. Past that invisible boundary the ground was churned and destroyed, the carnage grew less and less the further away from that line but where it was closest, in fact it looked just like the more linear path of destruction Ranma's Ki blast had left.

After thinking the black-haired boy's name she looked around in the chaos for the aforementioned boy. She didn't see him but she did notice another line of destruction in front of her. It was thinner, only taking out single trees in its short path but she did spot her Great Grandmother at the end of it. It was a start so she rushed forward into the tree line until she too could see what Ku-Lon was so thoroughly examining.

As soon as she realised it was Ranma, now in girl form thanks to her landing in a small stream, she dropped down to look the girl over herself. She was breathing, that was good, there was a pulse, also good, but she wouldn't wake up when shook, and that was bad. Ku-Lon gently tried to lift the girl off of her unconscious Airen but Xian-Pu only held on harder, uncaring that Ranma's breasts were exposed due to her shirt being ripped up in the blast.

"Great-Grandmother, what happen to Ranma?" Ku-Lon looked at the girl, now with a single tear running out of the corner of her eye.

"You don't know? You performed some kind of Ki projection, some type I haven't seen or heard of before and it struck Ranma directly." Xian-Pu looked amazed that she had actually managed to pull off the manoeuvre but now was not the time for self congratulation.

"Is Airen okay?"

"Son-in-law should be fine, he's taken worse hits. My concern is his Ki levels seem to be dangerously low, he's going to need some energy, and soon. We should wake him up first I guess, while I do that go and prepare some food, something filling, the boy's going to need a lot of it to recover." Xian-Pu did as she was told and Ku-Lon went about the process of activating the correct pressure points in order to gently release the boy from unconsciousness. It was always a tricky procedure and it was up to the practitioner to determine whether or not it was safe to do so.

In this case, as the boy would need food immediately to regain the stolen energy, she deemed it necessary. Just as she finished up and Ranma began blinking hazily into the light, Xian-Pu rushed back with a steaming plate of Ramen and six or seven bowls of rice. All were expertly balanced on different positions along her arms, with one balanced precariously on her head. Ranma had been about to ask what had happened but after smelling the delicious food he immediately jumped up, grabbed a bowl of rice and downed the lot in one physics-defying gulp.

The rest of the food soon followed and Ranma was left licking the last of the noodles out of the bowl. Now somewhat re-energised and not quite as hazy he finally asked what had happened to him. Ku Lon filled him in on the strange Ki manipulation Xian-Pu had mustered, which Ranma quickly filled into his own fuzzy memories of right before his flight and subsequent crash.

"What was that you called out right before it happened Shampoo?" Xian-Pu looked puzzled, then thoughtful.

"Xian-Pu no know, just remember feeling angry, then determined not to fail now Ranma had succeeded, then she open eyes and see destruction."

"Yes, I heard it to son-in-law; I believe it was 'Granite Barricade blast'. Quite a fitting name for what I witnessed, I must say. As I understood it, Xian-Pu drew in the surrounding Ki from all directions in perfectly equal quantities from all around. Then she Tucked into a ball, this I think made the Ki incredibly dense to the point where, when she stood up, it burst out in every direction, leaving her completely unharmed and anything unlucky enough to be caught in its radius to take the full brunt."

"What did you mean earlier about it being something you had never seen before? That seemed like a pretty good analysis for only seeing it once."

"Ah yes, whilst a multi-directional Ki-blast is nothing special, it was what remained afterwards that interests me. Neither of you saw but when the Ki burst out it quickly shrank back in, I thought at first it was collapsing in on itself but it halted about three feet from Xian-Pu creating a bubble of blue energy, like some kind of shield."

"So Xian-Pu create defensive Ki projection?"

"Yes, quite strange. I will have to study it further to know more but when you think about your chosen emotion it does make sense. After all, a rock is hardly offensive, is it?" Both teens just sort of shrugged but saw the reasoning behind it at least. Ranma was still hungry so he ate another meal while Ku-Lon and Xian-Pu had their lunch.

"Alright Ranma, that's enough sitting around doing nothing, let's get on with your fear training." Both Ranma and Xian-Pu looked at the old woman with incredulity.

"Great-Grandmother no serious right? After the hit Ranma take he should rest."

"Normally I would agree Xian-Pu but thanks to that energy drain Ranma had we are now halfway through our food supplies on the third day out of seven. We don't have the time to be taking afternoons off so we have to just suck it up and get on with it." Ranma sighed and got up, he felt better than earlier but not by one hundred percent by any stretch of the imagination.

"Fine, let's just do this."

* * *

The results of the afternoon were hardly encouraging, as opposed to Ranma's tremendous progress in his Ki technique; he had actually gone backwards in the other aspect of his training. Whilst he had managed to stand up with Xian-Pu in his arms the day before he could now just barely touch the girl in her cat form.

Ku-Lon just barely got him to relax long enough for Xian-Pu to curl down on his lap and fall asleep, only for the boy to finally lose his cool and shoot to his feet, throwing a very startled Xian-Pu onto the ground. The sun was setting and Ku-Lon felt increasingly annoyed with the boy who had managed to go backwards when he was normally such an apt pupil.

Eventually it reached the point where Ku-Lon couldn't take it anymore. It was their twenty-something attempt of the day and Ranma had made the bare minimum progression. She was currently sitting cross-legged, with her fingers digging into the soil around here. Her other hand was shakily moving in jerky motions along Xian-Pu's fur. However Ku-Lon could see the desperate look in Ranma's eyes that told her the girl was about to run.

Instead of giving her the chance she threw the bucket of warm water she had next to her, in case Ranma went Neko (something that was becoming increasingly uncommon). She hopped off, calling it quits for the day, leaving a now male Ranma with a very human, and very naked Xian-Pu lying on top of him. They were both surprised to find themselves in this situation but Xian-Pu recovered quickly, looking down at Ranma from her position on top of him.

A smile grew across her face that quickly turned into a wicked grin; there was something in her eyes that reminded Ranma of a bear finally cornering its prey. He almost lost himself in her glittering lilac orbs but he shook himself out of it and wormed out from beneath her. He quickly removed his shirt and held it out to her, she took it, albeit begrudgingly but when she turned back around Ranma was hurriedly walking off in the direction of their tree.

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Ranma almost didn't notice as Xian-Pu gracefully landed next to him on the branch as he stared up at the moon, the pale crescent sent light streaming out onto the forest below. The trees had shed more of their leaves since their first night and many of them looked almost skeletal in the pallid, white light. He found a bowl of steaming Miso soup thrust underneath his chin and he took it unquestioningly.

They ate in silence, both looking out across the mystical view that stretched out beneath them. When both of their bowls were empty they continued to simply sit there, not a word passing between them. It was Xian-Pu of course who finally broke the tense silence that by now had become as thick and as real as a sheet of glass separating the two teenagers.

"Airen think about home?" The question caught him off guard; it certainly wasn't the one he had expected.

"Yeah."

"About Panda man?" He hung his head down.

"A little."

"What about Ukyo and Akane?" He turned with the pain evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Xian-Pu; I know I must leave you really frustrated when I just go like that." Her response hurt him more than any scathing retort or slap across the face ever could. She simply hung her head down, stared at the floor and whispered in a faint but just audible voice.

"Xian-Pu used to it now."

"It's just, I'm still engaged to Akane and Ukyo, even if Pop made the engagements it still falls to my honour to see them through to the best of my ability." Xian-Pu looked up again, reading the young man's face.

"That not only reason." She was perceptive, he gave her that.

"No, I don't want to hurt them either. No matter how I see this going someone _will_ end up hurt and I've just hurt too many people already, I don't want to be responsible for any more pain." Xian-Pu leaned across and lightly kissed him on the cheek. It wasn't filled with passion or desire; it was merely to comfort the distraught boy.

"Ranma entitled to own happiness as well."

"But I shouldn't deserve happiness if all I bring is misery to those around me, especially those who care enough about me to get hurt." Xian-Pu smiled, it was faint and wasn't meant in an insulting or mocking way, she just smiled.

"Airen, what if Xian-Pu say you no have to hurt anyone?"

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**Author's note: I forgot to write this in the last chapter, Send m a review saying what emotion you think Cologne's Ki attack is based off of, if you get it right i'll give you a sneak preview of whatever chapter i'm working on at the time before I release it :)**


	28. Chapter 28

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. How much is that doggy in the window? The one with the waggly tail. How much is that doggy in the window? This song is one stupid ass fail.

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The leaves were just starting to change in Nerima and Xian-Pu stopped briefly to admire the diverse range of colours. Autumn was always her favourite time of the year, the world just exploded with natural colours ranging from crimson reds to vibrant yellows and everything in between. There was also the slight brisk chill in the air that was simply invigorating to walk out in. It was lucky that the season put her in such high spirits as what she had to do today certainly wouldn't.

It wasn't a particularity long walk from the Nekohanten to the Tendo household but Xian-Pu found herself taking scenic routes and twisting through the streets just to lengthen her journey. Normally she would have ridden her bike across rooftops and walls to get to any destination that was important however, while this was certainly an important destination, she lacked the will to want to go there.

It was the day before she and Ranma boarded their flight to China and Xian-Pu simply couldn't put it off any longer. Whilst she and her Airen had bonded in the last few weeks more than they had in the past year combined, China would be the true opportunity to finally seal that connection. If she missed her chance now it could prove disastrous further down the line, and she was very long-term goal-oriented.

Finally the moment she dreaded arrived as she walked slowly through the front gate of the Tendo's property. Even here the leaves had all turned their respective autumnal shades and dunes of red and golden leaves piled up in heaps across the garden. It was a tentative walk across that small patch of ground between the wall and the front door and she knew at any moment one of the Tendo's themselves would be answering her knocks.

Finally, after a few moments of hesitating and just standing there mutely with her fist inches from the door, she knocked. It was light, barely audible to even her but nevertheless the door quickly slid open revealing the smiling face of Kasumi Tendo. She was dressed in her usual apron and despite it being so close to dinner time, evidenced by the heady scent of food emanating from the kitchen, there wasn't a single stain on the smock.

"Good afternoon Shampoo."

"Nihao Kasumi" It was said without any of her normal cheerful attitude and the older woman immediately took notice, taking on a motherly tone.

"Whatever is the matter Shampoo?" The girl tried to put a bit more confidence in her voice but what came out was barely better than a squeak.

"Can Xian-Pu talk to Mr. Tendo?" The older woman moved out of her way, gesturing for her to enter the house.

"Of course, I believe he is on the deck playing Shogi with Nabiki." The older girl seemed satisfied that their guest could find her destination and moved back to the kitchen to finish preparing the dinner. Xian-Pu walked slowly through the house, she had been their plenty of times before, but all of them were to see Ranma, in fact she couldn't think of a single time she had been in this house without her Airen present.

What she really dreaded was seeing Akane, whilst the meeting and resulting confrontation with the violent girl was inevitable that didn't mean Xian-Pu wanted it to happen. She found her way out to the back of the house where the eldest Tendo and his middle daughter were indeed playing Shogi. Soun for his part looked incredibly stressed and worried as Nabiki continued to easily beat him in game after game while Nabiki just seemed bored at the lack of challenge her father provided.

"Daddy, must I really sit here playing this dull game with you over and over? Why don't you simply make up with Mr Saotome? I'm sure he's be happy to play with you."

"Don't worry Nabiki; you won't have to play much longer!" And with that he triumphantly moved one of his pieces across the board. "Check!" Nabiki simply sighed and moved her own piece with marked less enthusiasm.

"Checkmate, can I go now dadd-?" She trailed off when she saw their unannounced spectator. "Why hello Xian-Pu." Nabiki seemed to be the only Japanese person Xian-Pu knew who would pronounce her name correctly, yet it brought no comfort to the lavender-haired teen. It was probably better that Nabiki was witness to this; if she agreed then nobody would refute her. Once Soun realised the Nabiki was talking to somebody other than him Soun swivelled in his position on the ground to face her.

"Ah Shampoo, what can I do for you?" Xian-Pu gulped, uncertain of how to proceed, if she was in a war she would be deep in enemy territory. She wasn't but that didn't lessen the feeling of being surrounded on all fronts.

"Xian-Pu want talk about Ranma." Nabiki seemed interested by this and turned her attention away from the notebook she had been scribbling in.

"What exactly about Ranma?" Soun seemed upset that Nabiki had interjected where he was supposed to answer but nodded along to the question anyway.

"It about Ranma engagement to Akane." Now Soun seemed just as interested as Nabiki but in a far more hostile manner. "Xian-Pu want to let Tendo family know that Ranma no engaged to Akane." Soun looked ready to retort to this statement but was cut off, and surprisingly not by Nabiki.

"Says who?!" Of the three only Xian-Pu noticed Akane enter, her heightened senses easily picking up the short tempered girls flaming aura. Xian-Pu thought about turning to face her but decided against dignifying her with a response, instead she continued talking at the older Tendos present.

"I'm afraid I agree with my daughter, on what grounds exactly do you place these outrageous claims?" Xian-Pu remained calm; she had come expecting resistance after all.

"Xian-Pu study much Japanese Law, Akane no have claim to Ranma. When Panda man accept Kuonji dowry he void all past engagements by Japanese monogamy law." Akane and Soun looked shocked, they had never realised that by having multiple fiancées Ranma couldn't actually have more than one, by law. Nabiki on the other hand simply looked exasperated; she let out a big sigh which caught the other's attentions. Soun, who knew his daughters far better than he cared to let on immediately, understood what was going through the girls mind.

"Nabiki, did you know about this? Why didn't you tell us?" The miserly teenager looked about ready to flee the scene but the steely gaze from her father and sister held her in place.

"I knew ever since Ukyo showed up, but I figured if nobody realised then no harm no foul right?" The other two Tendos didn't appear to agree with the girl at all. Soun looked ready to burst into tears at this final death throe of the engagement whereas Akane just seemed her usual furious self.

"So Shampoo, I suppose you're going to tell the same thing to Ukyo right? That because you were Ranma's last fiancée then you have claim to him by Japanese law?" Xian-Pu tried not to lose her own temper at the infuriating girl's accusations.

"As a matter of fact no! Xian-Pu no can use same law on Ukyo because engagements made in different countries." Akane, instead of her usual puzzled or confused look after somebody shot down her arguments, had only increased in anger, but there was a satisfied smugness there as well.

"Then you haven't won yet, and I'd back Ukyo for Ranma over some Chinese airhead any day!" It was Xian-Pu's turn to smirk with victory as she stared down the angry girl.

"It no matter in few minutes." Now Akane fell into confusion, trying to riddle out just what Xian-Pu was planning. That was how Xian-Pu left her as she strode out of the room, feeling much better than when she had walked in. The scene she left behind might have been considered comedic, Soun balling his eyes out as Nabiki tried to back away in fear of getting splashed and Akane stood rooted to the spot, puzzlement and anger fighting it out in her head.

Kasumi almost bumped into her on her way out of the house, now carrying a few plates of steaming food that almost smelled good enough to rival the Cat Cafe's cooking.

"Oh Shampoo, leaving so soon? You won't stay for dinner will you?" Xian-Pu gracefully stepped around the peaceful girl.

"Sorry Kasumi, have important business left to finish." Kasumi waved her goodbye as she left the house before returning to her duties. Xian-Pu wished her well, of all the people she new in Nerima, Kasumi seemed the least deserving of the chaos that surrounded the area. However she also seemed the best at dealing with it in her own special way. It was her unnatural ability to keep absolutely calm and polite in every situation that kept Xian-Pu's thoughts occupied as she made her way just as slowly as before to her second destination of the evening.

It was getting dark by the time she reached Ucchan's, despite the confidence she gained from her confrontation with the Tendos the girl was just as hesitant to make her way here. Dealing with Akane was one thing but Xian-Pu had actually grown to care for the Okonomiyaki chef, she would have to take a different tact. She opened the door to the restaurant with only slightly less hesitation than before and was pleased to see Ukyo currently had no customers.

Ukyo looked up and smiled warmly, this wasn't the first time Xian-Pu had come around unannounced. She enjoyed her brief chats with the girl. After they had actually started talking she found that Xian-Pu's past was fascinating and she learned a lot about Chinese culture she might find useful if she ever wanted to broaden her business prospects abroad. It was also nice to have meaningful conversation about something other than Okonomiyaki with customers. As much as Ukyo loved the food she created it is tiring to talk about the same thing day in and day out.

Xian-Pu tried to return the welcoming smile but it was weak and transparent. Ukyo was cleaning the grill and didn't see so when she looked up from what she was doing it was in her usual chipper mood.

"So Shampoo sugar, what's up?" Xian-Pu shifter uncomfortably in the stool, something the chef did take note of. It was her job after all to notice discomfort in her customers and correct it accordingly. "Hey, what's wrong?" Her tone became more serious as Xian-Pu's discomfort grew.

"Xian-Pu have to talk with Ukyo but, conversation hard." Ukyo nodded sympathetically as a barman might to one of his patrons bearing their souls however there was no faked sympathy only genuine concern.

"Well what's it about?" Xian-Pu looked up but her eyes remained firmly fixed on the grill.

"It about Ranma." Ukyo's hand nearly went through the grill as Xian-Pu said his name. It had been an unspoken rule between the two girls not to talk about their shared fiancée. If Xian-Pu was bringing him up now, on the day before they left for China then this conversation was definitely going somewhere bad.

"Okay then, we were going to have to talk about this sooner or later I guess." Xian-Pu didn't want to keep the girl waiting any longer.

"You no engaged to Ranma." Ukyo didn't react as Xian-Pu had expected, there was no refusal, no anger and no defending her position as Ranma's fiancée, instead there was actually no reaction. Ukyo just stood calmly, waiting for Xian-Pu to continue and explain herself. "Xian-Pu know for a while now but not know when to bring up. Xian-Pu run out of time because of trip so have to find way to say it." Ukyo got tired quickly of Xian-Pu tripping over her own words.

"So Shampoo, why aren't I engaged to Ranchan exactly?" Xian-Pu took a few seconds to compose herself, drawing in a large lungful of air before explaining.

"You have engagement with Ranma because Panda-man accept dowry from father right?" Ukyo nodded slowly, not liking where the girl was going with this. "But before fathers make agreement you gamble same dowry to Gambling King and lose." Ukyo nodded again, even slower as she contemplated the words. "Then your father give away dowry that not his to give, this illegal in Japan and engagement thus voided."

Finally finished Xian-Pu sighed and sat back, awaiting Ukyo's response. The girl had taken it all in with what Xian-Pu could only describe as incredible restraint. She leant against the back wall of the grill area, her mind still processing what the girl had told her. Finally her head slowly raised and she looked straight at Xian-Pu. Despite having looked energized and chipper when the Amazon had walked in Ukyo now looked incredibly tired.

"Shampoo, I think you should leave." It was said without emotion, something that worried Xian-Pu more than if the girl had tried to kill her with her battle spatula. However the purple-haired Amazon respected the girls request and got up off the stool to leave. She was halfway out of the door when Ukyo broke down into sobs on the counter. Xian-Pu sighed and turned around.

The normally proud Okonomiyaki Chef had slumped to her knees with her head buried in her arms, trying to wipe away the tears before they could even get on her face. Xian-Pu quickly walked around the counter and supported the weeping girl with her arms around her shoulders. Ukyo naturally began crying into Xian-Pu's chest, thankful for the comfort even if it was with the one who had caused her the pain.

Xian-Pu stayed with Ukyo until the brunette chef had nothing left to cry, even then they both stayed motionless for another five minutes. Ukyo eventually picked herself up, using the grill for support and Xian-Pu followed her up, prepared in case she began crying again. She didn't and through bleary tear strained eyes she lightly smiled at Xian-Pu.

"Sorry about that, it all just sort of hit me at once."

"Xian-Pu understand, would feel the same way if other way around." The other girl nodded soberly, assured that Xian-Pu was telling the truth.

"Thank you Shampoo, tell Ranma there are no hard feelings between us, I lost a fiancée today and I don't really want to lose a friend as well." Xian-Pu left the restaurant unsure about leaving Ukyo as she was but it was dinner time and she was supposed to be helping her Great-grandmother prepare the food.

When she walked in Ku-Lon was already dicing up vegetables, she looked at the girl expectantly but the teen waved her off and moved through the rest of the house. When she reached Ranma, practising a complicated series of moves in the back garden she immediately felt like telling him the news. However Ranma spotted her first and stopped mid-kick to motion her over.

"Hey Shampoo, where ya been? Come over and check out this move I've been working on." Xian-Pu had wanted to tell him then and there but found herself caught up in the pigtailed martial artist's enthusiasm. He had been more and more cheerful the closer the flight came and Xian-Pu couldn't help but be drawn into the infectious good moods Ranma practically radiated. She could always tell him some other time.


	29. Chapter 29

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. If a sufficient number of people read these supposedly crazed ramblings then a sixty foot diameter portal to Blor'kesh will open and the wonderful and mighty god Cthulu will awaken from his millennia slumber. Or not.

* * *

Ku-Lon was getting ready for her sleep, fluffing up one of her pillows in her tent, when she heard Xian-Pu and Ranma return from their nightly talk. Something sounded different this time, there was none of the normally light-hearted chat between them as they emerged from the trees. Warranting this as strange enough to investigate she hopped outside into the brisk night air only to come face-to-face with her Great Granddaughter, Ranma planted over her back like a sheep on a shepherd.

"_My dear, what happened to Son-in-law?" _Xian-Pu just looked tired and slightly irritated.

"_I told him about his engagement situation and he fell from the tree." _She left out that on his way down to the earth Ranma hit his head a number of times on passing branches which stopped his usual cat-like landing, forcing Xian-Pu to carry him all the way back to camp. The whole way back from the tree she had wished for some cold water, it might have woken Ranma up but if not it would have at least made him a bit lighter. As it was, Ranma's toned and muscled physique actually made him fairly dense, in a few senses of the word.

"_Well, I can hardly blame the boy; to have something he has built the last year of his life around suddenly disappear must have been quite the shock."_ Xian-Pu hadn't considered that, she had actually thought Ranma would be pleased to be finally rid of the other engagements, he complained about them all the time after all._ "Anyway, you might as well put Ranma to bed, no point waking him now." _Xian-Pu nodded, still considering how she had completely misread Ranma's reaction.

"_Great-Grandmother?"_

"_Yes dear?"_

"_Am I right for Ranma?" _The question momentarily gave Ku-Lon a reason for pause, Xian-Pu had never been this forward with her feelings on Ranma and she had definitely never expressed any doubts_._

"_What does it matter dear? You love him and there are no other engagements to worry about anymore." _Xian-Pu was unsatisfied with the evasive answer.

"_But that isn't the point. I won't be happy if Ranma isn't." _Xian-Pu was acting very strangely tonight and Ku-Lon thought Ranma might not have been the only one to hit their head.

"_If you must know girl, I believe you two make an amazing couple" _Once again Xian-Pu gave her Great-Grandmother a look that clearly said she wasn't impressed with the answer again. Ku-Lon gave a long sigh; this wasn't going to be easy._ "Xian-Pu, you and Ranma are very similar in many ways. You are both very dedicated to that which you truly love, you are also brash, stubborn and have a tendency to speak or act without really thinking. In many ways this makes you the average teen couple, except it is so much more than that." _Xian-Pu quietly waited for Ku-Lon to continue.

"_In my years I have seen relationships exactly like yours crumble into pitiful squabbling and hatred." _Xian-Pu looked up at her Great Grandmother, clearly shocked by the honesty of her answer. "_In fact, your own parents were almost the same. Your father was arrogant and brash, wanting to travel the world, never staying in one place until he met your mother. It was those years he spent in the village, tied down, unable to move on, this was what drove your parents apart."_

Kon-Xiela never really spoke to Xian-Pu about her father, she had the vaguest memories of the man from when she was very young but apart from that the man was a mystery. She knew he was still alive somewhere but whenever she expressed interest in the man, her mother would get a very tired look on her face and Xian-Pu would stop asking. Her face fell; she didn't want that to happen with Ranma, her heart couldn't face it. Seeing the hurt and depressed look creep into Xian-Pu's face Ku-Lon used her staff to raise the girl's chin so she could see her gentle smile.

"_Yet at the same time Great-Granddaughter, I have seen those exact same relationships flourish into some of the strongest and most loving couples I have ever seen. They are people who would die for one another if it meant their partner would be safe for even a single second longer. To be honest Xian-Pu I do not know which category you and Ranma might fall into, but knowing that boy and the chaotic but wonderful life he leads, you would probably have a whole category to yourself."_

Xian-Pu timidly smiled, it had been so long since she and her Great-Grandmother had shared a conversation like this. It was pleasing to finally talk about themselves as opposed to the next training regime or technique to learn.

"_Thank you Great-Grandmother, it was nice talking to you about this."_

"_I'm happy too child, I've missed our talks, if I remember right then the last time we really talked about anything meaningful was when you got your first per-"_

"_Great-grandmother!" _Ku-Lon smiled warmly, it had been a joke and Xian-Pu knew that, returning the smile with a slightly embarrassed one of her own. The older woman wished the younger a good night but just as they turned from one another toward their respective tents Xian-Pu realised she still had something to talk about.

"_One last thing Great-Grandmother."_

"_Yes girl, please be quick, we elderly need our sleep after all."_ Xian-Pu nodded, gracious that her Great-Grandmother gave her the time.

"_Would it be possible to use my Ki technique in my other form?" _Once again the young woman had made Ku-Lon pause mid-thought.

"_You mean as a cat? Well I suppose theoretically it should be possible as you understand the method now but why would you ever have need of it? It isn't like you will have your curse for much longer." _Xian-Pu sighed, something that didn't go unnoticed, she knew this was going to be difficult to explain.

"_Great Grandmother, what if I don't want to remove my curse?" _Ku-Lon's face took on an extremely serious tone, as did her voice.

"_What are you talking about girl?"_ Xian-Pu tried a smile but the intense stare from Ku-Lon made her falter and her voice came out weak or timid.

"_I've just come to accept it as a part of myself. It's different but I do enjoy it on occasion, so if Ranma doesn't fear it why do I have to get rid of it?" _Ku-Lon's face softened a bit at the explanation but her tone of voice lost none of its impact.

"_Girl, you realise that this is the first time you've even had the opportunity to cure yourself? I only barely managed to get the other elders to accept lifting the punishment, and that was only after I explained the situation with Ranma and his own curse." _Xian-Pu nodded, she had considered this. Seeing that that wasn't working Ku-Lon tried a different tact, something she hadn't hoped to have to do as it might scare her Great-Granddaughter.

"_Look Xian-Pu, do you know exactly why training at Jusenkyo is considered an Amazon woman's worst punishment?" _Xian-Pu was slightly worried when Ku-Lon heavily stressed the word 'woman' but answered back as confidently as she could.

"_Having a curse is a great dishonour." _Ku-Lon sighed once again.

"_Have you ever heard of a male Amazon being punished in the same manner? Keep in mind what happened to Mu-Tzu was not a punishment but his own fault." _Xian-Pu slowly shook her head, really wishing Ku-Lon would reach the point, she was becoming very worried by the way the old woman was skirting around her own words. "_Xian-Pu, it's because a woman with a Jusenkyo curse cannot get pregnant."_

The night was unnaturally silent as those three words sunk into Xian-Pu's soul 'cannot get pregnant'. Not a single bird cried nor a cicada chirped, even Ku-Lon took note of the sheer silence that hung over the clearing like a fog. Just as smothering as that deathly quiet was on the old woman, it was the shrill scream that pierced through it that truly frightened the old woman. Xian-Pu ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction as her Great-Grandmother, screaming and crying as she went.

The banshee-like shriek was even enough to wake a previously unconscious Ranma who raised his head just to see Xian-Pu rush madly into the tree line. He got to his feet in milliseconds and without thinking immediately sprinted after her. Ku-Lon barely saw the red and black blur that sped past her into the dense foliage of the surrounding forest, her only inclination that Ranma had moved at all was the loud cry that scattered a few birds into the starless night sky.

"Shampoo!"

* * *

After five minutes of straight sprinting following Xian-Pu through the dense forest based on sound alone finally found her in a small clearing, not unlike their own. There was a small pond as black as the sky above them and crystal clear like a mirror. He couldn't wrench his eyes away from the image of Xian-Pu curled up in a fetal position crying freely into the ground. He knew that he didn't know what to say to make the girl stop crying, no matter how much he could have wished for it.

After the time spent with Xian-Pu he had learnt that sometimes saying nothing at all was the best thing he could do. So he did just that, he quietly walked up to the weeping girl who turned in her position on the ground to look at him with tear-streaked and bloodshot eyes. The sight nearly made him abandon his previous idea as his heartstrings were tugged but he continued. He settled down next to the stricken girl and gathered her up in his arms, allowing her to freely cry into his chest.

It stayed this way for another five minutes, or more since Ranma really couldn't tell out here but he knew his shirt was slowly being soaked by Xian-Pu's seemingly never ending tears. He had no idea what could have possibly made Xian-Pu cry like this, with a start he thought it might have been something he did. Perhaps she had taken offense when he passed out at the news over his engagements. He looked at the normally strong and proud Amazon in his embrace and realised that she would never be this emotional over something like that, no it was something else.

Of course he would wait for her to tell him what, it wasn't his place to ask, especially if it was this important to Xian-Pu. He was interrupted in the middle of his inner monologue by a quiet whisper from said teen.

"Xian-Pu sorry Airen." He tried not to look completely incredulous when he answered.

"For what, you haven't done anything?" This brought on a whole new wave of tears that Ranma was now sure he had caused, only increasing his ever-growing discomfort. This round lasted only a few seconds but any moment that a girl was crying near Ranma felt like an eternity.

"Xian-Pu sorry for running away." Rama finally felt like this was a good time to ask what all of this was about.

"But why did you run?" Ranma actually thought Xian-Pu was about to cry again but she managed to hold back long enough to tell him.

"Great-Grandmother say because of curse Xian-Pu can no get pregnant." As the girl once again dissolved into heavy sobs Ranma thought on what she had said. But of course as soon as she said it then it made complete sense. After all back in Nerima he was a practical magnet for water, how would a girl go nine months without getting wet? This sudden realisation made Ranma realise how much this must hurt Xian-Pu. He realised it was now a choice for her between having children and keeping her cat form.

"So what are you going to do?" He said it as softly as possible so there was no doubt the question was sincere with no malice whatsoever. Xian-Pu had finally cried her last tear; she had nothing left to give so she looked up at him.

"Xian-Pu have to give up curse, want to be mother more than anything in world" To be honest the thought scared Ranma to no end as he knew exactly who she wanted to be a mother with.

"You could always just leave it for a few years you know. I mean you're not ready to be a mother right now, right?" She just looked so tired as she hung her head away from him.

"No, but longer Xian-Pu keep curse, harder it be to give up later." He breathed a silent sigh of relief and helped her to her feet, slowly leading her back towards the camp.

"You never know, there may be a way around it. Maybe there's some way to make sure you can't change, like when Cologne locked me in my girl form with the cat's tongue pressure point." A small sparkle of hope lit itself deep in Xian-Pu's eyes but was quickly quashed by the more rational side of her mind. If such a method was possible and known to the Amazon's then her Great-Grandmother would have never told her about the loss of pregnancy.

Xian-Pu suddenly felt a little heavier in Ranma's arms but he supported her all the same to the camp where Ku-Lon waited expectantly, worry evident in the elderly woman's features. Once she saw that her Great-Granddaughter was safe she sighed and regained her usual impassive look before getting into her tent for the night. Ranma did the same with Xian-Pu and soon the now exhausted girl was curled up in his arms lightly snoring.

Ranma on the other hand was kept awake for hours after that, something about what Xian-Pu had said struck a chord deep in Ranma's being. He fought with himself all night until his brain just gave up and shut down for the night. The next day was going to be a long one, he could tell.

* * *

**Author's Note: Reviews are starting to dry up, I like to be kept nice and soaked otherwise I'll start slowing down, heck even a favourite might do**


	30. Chapter 30

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Who is in fact a vampire, if you didn't already know that. It's true; she feeds off kindly donated blood packs of course, not a vein sucker like those filthy degenerates in Transylvania.

* * *

Ranma thankfully, was wrong in his assertion; the next few days went smoothly and without incident. In the mornings the two teens would practise their respective Ki attacks. Ranma focused on making his Moko Takabisha more precise and use up less of his energy whilst Xian-Pu just concentrated on replicating her own move without blanking for a few moments. She knew as a martial artist that even a few moments spent unfocused in a fight could tip the scales against you.

They both made steady improvement in this regard and soon enough Ranma could fire off three or four Ki blasts and still have energy to spare in a fight. Xian-Pu also improved greatly, being able to project her shield increasingly further with each renewed attempt. Interestingly Xian-Pu didn't seem as constrained as Ranma when it came to using her own Ki in the attack. It appeared that the shield itself sapped energy from the surroundings. However this would become an issue if there wasn't much Ki in the air or ground which made it particularly difficult to replicate the attack in quick succession.

Also, despite his recent setbacks, Ranma began to improve once again in his fear training. It seemed to help that he almost seemed distracted when Xian-Pu came close. He had early on reached a point where he could move about with Xian-Pu in his arms and he didn't even shiver. To anybody that didn't know what kind of torture this was for the boy he might have even seemed like a normal guy holding a cat.

Ku-Lon, who had previously just been irritated by the teen backsliding, was now back to her quiet respect for the boy. She knew from the start the process would be long and hard but Ranma approached it with confidence and determination, and it was finally paying off for him. Of course it was apparent that Ranma wasn't completely over his fear by now and might even regress if he didn't keep up the training. However he had made leaps and bounds in the right direction and now that he wouldn't run away at the mere sight of a cat that particular weakness in a fight was now less of an issue.

It was on one such afternoon, the second last before they went back to the village in fact, that saw Ranma gently holding Xian-Pu in his hands, scratching her lightly behind the ears. Ku-Lon had gone to get more water and left the two teens to their own machinations. It was the first time Ranma had been left unsupervised with the cat form Xian-Pu but he didn't find it all that different, after all it wasn't Ku-Lon the pigtailed teen was focusing on. Xian-Pu was moving restlessly on his lap as he continued to scratch behind her ears and on top of her head lightly.

She rolled over, lifting her arms up as if she were offering her stomach; Ranma took the hint and moved his hand to this new area which Xian-Pu gratified with a purr. He laughed, imagining a human Xian-Pu try the same manoeuvre; somehow he imagined it would look even cuter, with her eyes staring longingly, but playfully up at him. Nowadays it were these types of thoughts that kept Ranma together around the feline Amazon, he almost wondered to himself if he could accomplish the same feat if it weren't Xian-Pu in his lap, but some different cat.

He involuntarily gave a small shudder, something Xian-Pu was too busy being in heaven to notice but he fought the new images entering his mind. If it was a different cat he could treat it in the exact same manner as he did Xian-Pu, then again only time would really tell him if that were true. He noticed Xian-Pu had fallen asleep in his lap, which was one thing he noticed about cats now, they slept, a lot. Ku-Lon hopped back with some warm water from the hot spring and promptly tossed the lot over the two idle teens.

Ranma and a newly awakened Xian-Pu were up and angry in seconds, after Ranma had handed the now naked Xian-Pu a sheet from inside their tent.

"What the heck was that for? I was doing just fine!" Ku-Lon smirked; whilst she enjoyed the mutual respecting relationship between her and her new student it was just too much fun to irritate the boy.

"Never mind that, pack up the tents and the equipment, we're going back to the village." Xian-Pu emerged from the tent, now with a shirt slung over her body.

"But we have one more day on the trip?"

"That may be but I really don't think you two have anything left to learn that this place will help you with. Ranma has sufficient control over his fear that going into the Nekoken is now a rarity and you both have the restraint to train your Ki attacks without destroying the village." She looked over at Xian-Pu when she said this, the first time she had tried to use her Kakogan Barikedo after her initial use it had taken out a large swathe of trees on the outside of the clearing. After that she had managed a bit more self-control but the other two still had that image of pure destruction fresh in their minds.

The two didn't argue as the old woman had a point; anyway, Xian-Pu was anxious to return and see her mother once again. Ranma wasn't quite so keen, just when he felt he was making real progress it felt wrong to simply stop. Except that he wouldn't really be stopping, after all he was sure there would still be training with Ku-Lon and he could always practise his fear training with Xian-Pu anytime at all. With that in mind he went about with a good pace clearing the camp and packing their equipment away into their bags.

One good thing to come of all this was Xian-Pu was now perfectly capable of carrying her own weight and she did so with pride. Ranma's back gave a figurative sigh of relief when he only had to lift up his own bag, which was thankfully lighter than when they had arrived. The trio wasted no time in setting of for the village through the early winter afternoon.

* * *

With their reduced carrying weight and their spirits fairly high from the success of their trip, the three made it back to the village in good time. It was very early in the morning and the chill that the sun was only just starting to dissipate was still biting at their bones. Ranma was looking forward to simply dropping like a stone onto a proper bed with warm covers and an even warmer Xian-Pu to sleep next to.

Ku-Lon parted with them at the door to Xian-Pu's house but not before telling them to meet up with her once they woke up. They smiled and agreed with her, if anything just so she would leave and they could finally get some rest. The old woman had frogmarched them through the forest in the pitch black, freezing wind, and even when it began lightly snowing. Ranma had become excited when this happened but it petered out shortly after and it wasn't the right temperature for the snow to settle.

When they walked through the door flaps into the house they had been expecting Kon-Xiela and maybe the twins, they definitely weren't expecting a certain near-blind boy.

"Mousse?"

"Mu-Tzu?!" It was said in unison, which startled the optically challenged teen who hadn't noticed them come in. However, even with Ranma's voice distorting the shocked call he would recognise her voice anywhere.

"Xian-Pu? Is it really you?" Both exhausted teens were more than surprised when Mu-Tzu didn't follow this up by attempting to hug some nearby upright object that he thought was Xian-Pu. Instead the Amazon just pulled his glasses out of his robes and put them on. He smiled warmly when he confirmed his query and walked over calmly to the pair. "When I heard you were in the village I came straight over. Your mother told me you were on a training trip but also informed me you would be back some time around now."

"You wait for Xian-Pu?" The boy took on a more nervous expression.

"Um, no of course not, In fact today was the first day we came over to check." When Ranma and Xian-Pu heard the word 'we' they finally noticed the other occupant of the room. The girl standing in the corner looked shy and had her hands behind her back, idly twiddling her thumbs as she rolled back and forth on the balls of her feet. Xian-Pu stared hard at the girl and suddenly her eyes shot up in recognition.

"Aiyah! Ru-Xié!" Xian-Pu, now full of energy rushed the previously shy girl and gathered up in a large hug. After a few startled moments the girl returned the hug, maybe without quite as much vigour.

"_I forgot about your hugs Xian-Pu, perhaps I should have come better prepared." _Xian-Pu beamed happily at the younger girl as she clasped her shoulders as a sign of friendship.

"_It is amazing to see you sister, it has been too long." _The girl looked over Xian-Pu's shoulder at Ranma who was now the awkward one.

"_So is this him? Is he the one you stayed in Japan for almost a year for? He doesn't look like much." _Ranma might have been tired but he still didn't enjoy being insulted like that.

"_Hey, I can understand you know." _The girl blushed her namesake as she quickly apologised to the young martial artist.

"_I apologize, I heard about your fight with Wa-Kze and if you are strong enough to beat Xian-Pu then you must be a great warrior."_ Ranma wanted to stay in a huff but the girl's adorable expression and resounding praise quickly melted that facade.

"_It alright, But you wait until see me fight, then you judge."_ Ru-Xié smiled at that, nodding excitedly. Xian-Pu didn't particularly like how chummy the two were so quickly becoming and decided to change the subject.

"_Ru-Xié, YOU are Mu-Tzu's wife now?" _The girl giggled cheerfully and ran over to Mu-Tzu, wrapping him up in a glomp that Ranma knew all too well, but had never actually seen from the outside. Far from embarrassed or appalled at the girl's behaviour Mu-Tzu simply smiled warmly back at his bride.

"_Yes, interesting story actually. When I came back to the village I tried my best to fall back into the old patterns but my act must have been weak as I had numerous condolences from my friends and family. It was getting to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and snapped, right in front of Ru-Xié." _The girl carried on the story from there.

"_He started berating me about how nobody could measure up to HER or that nothing was right without HER. Naturally I took incredible offense at the statements he was screaming at me for no reason whatsoever. I didn't particularly want to fight him but many of my friends were there convincing me it was now a matter of honour. After that I couldn't refuse." _Once again the two switched and Mu-Tzu picked up the tale.

"_In my annoyed state I wasn't really thinking clearly and didn't think through the ramifications of what a fight would mean so I accepted."_ He smiled at the girl that was now wrapped in his arms. "_I was so confident I would wipe the floor with Ru-Xié that I became overconfident, underestimating her. I held back which was a terrible mistake, Ru-Xié is one of the fastest people I know and she was inside my guard within seconds, making many of my weapons useless. Before I could even consider my back-ups the fight was over and she was standing over me, the victor."_ Ranma nodded understandingly.

"_Ah so you get married because she defeat you." _Mu-Tzu laughed at him.

"Ranma, you are mistaking our internal laws for the ones concerning outsiders, if every fight in the village ended in a marriage then nothing would get done, no an internal challenge is quite common and the only thing at stake is some honour and whatever you might wager." He continued in Chinese for the benefit of his wife. "_No, what that fight gave us was an introduction. I got to know Ru-Xié and in time we became very close friends. From there it was almost the natural next step to become engaged."_

Ranma was surprised at the lack of hatred in the boy's voice as he addressed him directly; in fact Mu-Tzu's entire demeanour seemed to have changed. Instead of the blind, awkward and hopelessly love-stricken teenager that he had seen leaving so long ago in Nerima, there stood before him a confident, relaxed and happy young man.

"Well Mousse, I'm glad you're finally happy buddy."

"Xian-Pu too too happy as well" The teenager yawned, an action that immediately made Mu-Tzu remember how tired the two must be.

"Oh, anyway, we wanted to see you and say hello, also if you two ever want to come over to our house please feel free." Ru-Xié was becoming increasingly distressed a the three's use of Japanese, leaving her out of the conversation but Mu-Tzu whispered something in her ear that made her grin broadly and turn a pale shade of red.

"Mu-Tzu have house?" He chuckled gently, already walking out of the door.

"No, Ru-Xié is staying with my family, but you are still welcome to visit any time you please." Then they were gone. It was a strange confrontation to be sure but right now, as sleep crept into the fringes of Ranma's vision he found it difficult to really care. Xian-Pu looked as though she wanted to talk about the strange encounter but when he motioned with his head towards the stairs she let out another yawn and let him lead her into their room.

They were asleep seconds after they hit the bed, Ranma was right about one thing, having Xian-Pu to beat off the cold made the sleep all that more enjoyable. Whilst Xian-Pu's dreams were light and happy in congratulations of Mu-Tzu finally moving on with his life, Ranma's were plagued by the same thoughts that had haunted him for days now.

* * *

**Author's note: Aondehafka, because I can't message you directly, I'm answering your concern here:  
**** Yes, Ukyo might habe been six years old at the time but she had a right to the Okonomiyaki cart in the same way the Ranma had a right to the Tendo dojo, something that not even Nabiki tried to dispute when the gambling king showed up. Also there would be no way to prove that the Gambling king cheated in his game with Ukyo, after all we only know for sure that he has cheated with Ranma. Whilst it is probable he cheated, without any way to prove it it doesn't effect the consequences of the deal in the slightest.**


	31. Chapter 31

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. I have been informed that I should apologise for my previous remark, it is not Miss Takahashi's fault she is a vampire, it a serious and deadly affliction that we should waste no effort in curing.

* * *

Kon-Xiela had been extremely surprised to walk into her daughter's room, expecting to just clean a bit, only to find her home and asleep. Not to mention curled up in Ranma's arms and snuggled up against him for comfort and warmth. The image made her smile; it made her think back to her own days training under her Grandmother, she had found someone to stay warm with as well. Her smile turned into a sad melancholic look, it had all been so simple and wonderful back then.

She had felt like waking the two teens up seeing it was sunrise and Ku-Lon would most likely want them to go meet with her. However she decided against it, this time the two had together was precious, even if they weren't awake for it. She would allow them one more hour of rest before disturbing them from slumber.

The two saved her the trouble and got up twenty minutes later, it was almost painful having to get up from their warm bed into the bright light of the morning but they managed it anyway. After a bath and a change of clothes they were downstairs enjoying breakfast with Kon-Xiela. They were mildly perturbed at how little a reaction from her they had gained when they walked downstairs, they put this to the back of their mind and just thought Ku-Lon must have told her.

When they were finished they thanked the woman for the delicious meal and told her they needed to see Ku-Lon. Once again Xian-Pu's mother seemed highly unsurprised and simply nodded to allow them to leave. It was the same kind of infuriating impassiveness and unsurprisability that Ku-Lon had always shown back in Nerima. Ranma ignored it, instead he told Xian-Pu to go on and that he would meet her there, she seemed unsure but once he assured her that he knew the way and wouldn't get into anymore trouble she left, albeit reluctantly.

He turned and saw Kon-Xiela staring at him with a bemused expression, when he sat back down at the table she raised an eyebrow but followed him in the action.

"_Was there something you wanted to talk about Ranma?" _He just looked at the ground for a while, trying to come up with the best way of saying what he wanted to say.

"_Kon-Xiela, I've never really had mother." _He winced, that didn't sound right at all._ "What I mean is, when you asked about myself you gave me good advice. Xian-Pu told me that engagements with other fiancées are void but for some reason I no feel good about this." _Kon-Xiela thought on his words a moment.

"_Do you think you have feelings for either of the other girls?" _

He shook his head slowly. "_I've always enjoyed Ukyo's company but I don't think I'll ever think of her as more than friend, or maybe sister. Akane is most complicated person I know but again I don't think I feel that way about her." _Again the woman took a moment to think.

"_I think I know what the problem is. Whilst the problem has been resolved, somewhat, you weren't the one to resolve it. I bet you feel as though you owe the girls your own explanation, you want to talk to them about it."_ He nodded slowly, it did sound right. "_I think that you should be the one to finally tell them you don't feel that way, voided engagement or not. I fear it will also be the only way for them to truly get over it as well."_

Ranma rubbed his face, he had been afraid of that, he knew that Xian-Pu telling the girls that their legal claims meant nothing wouldn't really work. If anything, if he knew Akane and Ukyo at all, then they weren't going to just let him go; instead this would just turn them against Xian-Pu more than they already were. It meant it was going to have to be him that would have to end it once and for all. It was useful information he filed away for later, right now he had somewhere to be.

"_Thank you Kon-Xiela, I appreciate advice again." _Xian-Pu's mother smiled at him.

"_Any time Ranma. Your Chinese has improved by the way." _He smiled as well, heading for the door but she stopped him on the threshold. _"Ranma, I know it must have been difficult growing up without a mother, especially with the type of father you described to me, but just know that I would feel proud to have you as my son."_

Ranma left the house feeling confused but happier and it was noticeable in his confident step and long strides as he made his way toward Ku-Lon's house. Of course even a simple walk for Ranma could never be without difficulty, his particular problem with this walk was a young emerald-haired Amazon. He tried to hide before Wa-kze could notice him but before he could make it into an adjoining street the teen spotted him and ran over.

"_Hi Ranma" _The puppy dog look she was constantly giving him was making him feel far too uncomfortable. "_Where's Xian-Pu? She hasn't left you all alone has she?" _She tried to sound innocent but the predatory glee she was feeling shone through the feeble act.

"_Um no, Xian-Pu go ahead, I must catch up with her." _Again the girl's eyes gleamed as she smiled broadly.

"_Ah so you're chasing her then? Wouldn't you much rather chase somebody else?" _She pushed out her chest whilst she said it and Ranma had to fight not to succumb to that particular tactic as he felt his cheeks tinge with red. Wa-Kze simply took that as a sign her advances were working but before she could follow up on them Ranma quickly pointed in the opposite direction.

"_Hey what the heck that?" _While she turned he jumped as high as he could onto the nearby rooftop and sprinted away in the direction of Ku-Lon's house. It was childish and immature but it had worked so Ranma breathed a sigh of relief even as his feet pounded across roof tiles to carry him away from the infatuated girl. It seemed that even though she had lost the match with Xian-Pu over him she wasn't quite ready to give up on her potential husband so soon.

He reached the plain whitewashed house panting for breath and took just a moment to catch it as he leant back on the wall. He entered the household almost completely rejuvenated and sat down at the table where Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon were animatedly talking about something in Chinese. He didn't even try and listen in, instead he thought about what Kon-Xiela had told him, as well as the conflicting thoughts that had been raging in his head for days now. Soon the two female Amazons finished their conversation and turned to face him with he left his own thoughts and rejoined the real world.

"Well Great-Granddaughter, Son-in-Law, I've just had an interesting conversation with the council. It appears the Jusenkyo guide came up to the village yesterday and told them to inform you that the flood waters had begun to recede. The springs should be back to normal by tomorrow so I have decided to give you two the day off after all the progress you made on the trip and in anticipation for your curing.

The two looked extremely pleased as Ku-Lon hopped off to the kitchen and tried to decide what they would do with the newfound free time. Ranma immediately started off by suggesting training but receive a playful slap across the head for his troubles. Xian-Pu reminded him that they would have plenty of time for training later. She in turn suggested they visit the village's hot baths for a day of relaxation. Ranma certainly felt like he needed such a day but as they took their conversation outside, both immediately noted the change in weather.

It had dropped a few degrees and fat, lazy flakes of snow were beginning to drift down from the whitened sky. Unlike the tease they had received on their journey back from the forest, this snow actually began to settle in small clumps and patches in the streets. As Ranma was admiring the white wonderland that had begun to form whilst they were inside, a very cold and very wet ball struck him on his back. He turned sharply, his sixth sense warning him of another barrage as he caught the next three snowballs right out of the air.

"Snowball fight no fun if Ranma use martial arts" Xian-Pu tried to sound annoyed but her good mood at the turn of the weather was apparent. Ranma just responded by gathering his own clump of snow and quickly hurling a barrage of snowballs back at the girl who promptly dodged all but one, which she quickly brushed off before it melted on her. This quickly dissolved into a full on war that saw the two teens racing across rooftops and through streets, each trying to get the other as cold as possible with increasingly large snowballs.

They annoyed countless passersby as one or two of their projectiles missed their targets by a few inches and hit other people in the chest or on their back. They then spent a few minutes just trying to get away from whoever they had disturbed, laughing and enjoying the chase. At one point they each had a small fort of snow they defended from the others attacks but eventually these two were destroyed by people wanting to get by in the street.

After an hour of this light-hearted 'war' the two called it a truce as the snow had piled up to the point where both were shivering furiously and had to retreat inside to retrieve warmer clothing. Once they had neither was in the mood for such antics anymore and decided to simply walk around the village. It was amazing, even for Xian-Pu, to see the place covered in sweeping blankets of pure white snow. It made everything look clean and crisp and untouched.

Even the streets were hardly affected as people instead chose to stay indoors with their loved ones. It was only the brave or desperate who ventured out into the crisp and freezing afternoon. Ranma had seen plenty of snow in his time training as a martial artist but every single one of those times Genma would use the shift in weather as yet another training exercise. He would send Ranma out into the cold to train until he was warm, which of course never happened. Supposedly it was to harden him against the elements, the only undefeatable enemy.

Now Ranma could view the tiny wisps of frozen water in a whole new light, mostly due to the bundle of furs and warm clothes that was clutching his arm and nuzzling his shoulder even as they walked. Xian-Pu had also seen plenty of snow and had on occasion been subjected to it as training but not nearly to the same severity as Ranma had, she enjoyed the brief periods when she could enjoy the snow for what it was.

The two found a bench and settled down on one end of it, just watching the snow fall and people pass by. They made a game of it, predicting who might come around the corner next, whether it was a hurried man running of somewhere or a woman stopping at every shop to find the perfect gift. They even saw a few teen couples, out doing exactly what Ranma and Xian-Pu were doing, enjoying the other's company in a new setting.

Eventually they were surprised to see Mu-Tzu and Ru-Xié hurry around a corner and spot them. The other couple joined them on the bench and they shared a brief conversation. They had things to do and quickly hurried on but not before Mu-Tzu provided the pair with a few re-usable hand warmers out of his robes. Ranma found it strange that even in the light robes Mu-Tzu was wearing he didn't appear at all affected by the cold. He figured it must have been from the layers of hidden weapons acting as an insulator.

Once alone again Ranma and Xian-Pu decide it was about time to head back to her house and stood up. Unfortunately Xian-Pu dropped her hard warmer into a nearby snow drift, it melted the snow around it and as the teen leant in to pick it back up there was just enough water in the small crater to trigger her curse. Taken off guard by the transformation Ranma nearly fled but he controlled himself, calmed his breathing and picked up the light pink cat that was now trying to dig her way out of the bundle of clothing surrounding her.

Xian-Pu shivered in Ranma's arms, even surrounded by a layer of warm fur so he picked up her discarded shirt and wrapped the shaking cat up before setting off at a jog for the house. Kon-Xiela took in the picture as soon as the pair came back in and produced a kettle of warm water in a few moments. Once Xian-Pu was decent they decided that it might be a good idea to visit the bath house now. Both were shivering from the cold and neither wanted to catch something the day before they could finally be cured.

Xian-Pu wrapped up in layers once again and they set out for the baths, taking the shortest route over the rooftops to avoid staying out in the cold longer than was necessary. The bath house itself was a large building, built in that same plain white stone that seemed to be the norm in Nyuchiehzu. They entered and Ranma immediately looked for the signs for the male bathing area. Xian-Pu saw his confusion when he couldn't find it and immediately understood.

"Silly Ranma, Amazon's bath together." Ranma's face turned bright read and he nearly face-faulted to the ground.

"T-Together?" Sure he had shared baths with Xian-Pu but with complete strangers? He tried to turn around and leave but Xian-Pu grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him excitedly into the changing area, not even noticing his obvious discomfort. She stripped down and placed her clothes in a locker before collecting one of the small towels which she wrapped around her waist. He reluctantly did the same; now that he was here he might as well get a hot bath out of it.

His eyes stayed firmly on the white-tiled floor as he walked through the bathing area, not once looking up as Xian-Pu led him over to one of the medium sized baths. They settled in, with Ranma still not looking around him for fear of what he might see.

"What Ranma doing?" he looked up to answer but accidently caught sight of a woman standing up from the bath to leave and immediately averted his eyes again. Xian-Pu looked around, everything seemed normal so why was Ranma acting so oddly. She remembered his aversion to female nudity and laughed quietly. She had thought he had finally gotten over that when they had begun bathing together but it appeared it was only her that he was used to, she felt moderately flattered.

"Ranma, this normal part of Amazon life, it not to be ashamed of." Of course Ranma's strong moral sensibilities were having none of it and he found himself sliding further and further into the water. Xian-Pu sighed and lifted his head up but he firmly clamped his eyes shut.

"Ranma what point of coming to bath if you no relax?" Xian-Pu decided to help Ranma out a bit. "Why not focus on Xian-Pu instead?" And whilst the teen was busy with his eyes closed Xian-Pu dived on him in a heated kiss. Subconsciously he returned the kiss, momentarily forgetting where he was as he became lost in Xian-Pu's lips. They both surfaced from the bath panting from the lack of oxygen and Ranma rubbed his eyes to get out the water that had gotten in when he opened his eyes in shock from the kiss.

Xian-Pu was grateful that their trip to the baths wasn't a complete waste as she once again pounced on Ranma. Other occupants of the bath looked on at the couple with smiles, each enjoying the display of young love the two were putting on. When the two teens finally returned to the house it was red faced and smiling. Ranma may not have gotten over his inhibitions but they had enjoyed the trip nevertheless.


	32. Chapter 32

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Wow, it is getting harder and harder to ramble in these things, I think all my crazy is being poured out, maybe by the end of this story I'll actually be normal. Damn I hope not.

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Today was amazing, everything about the day was spectacular, there was literally nothing more perfect than this exact day, right here, right now. At least that's how Ranma saw the day with his rose-tipped glasses and all because today was the day he would lose the curse. Finally, after a year of almosts and false hopes he would once and for all get rid of his girl half.

The white shade of the sky was beautiful, the snow banks on the side of the path they were walking on were gleaming and the surrounding forest was wonderful shades of emeralds. He looked over at Xian-Pu who didn't look quite as happy as he did but she smiled when he grabbed her hand. His good mood was infectious and soon Xian-Pu was grinning almost as broadly as he was as they walked down the empty road to Jusenkyo.

Ranma looked out over the ride at the sea of gleaming lakes that spread off into the distance; in one of them was his salvation. Unfortunately none of them were named so they immediately made a path for the Guides hut. He wasn't outside today but the two teens couldn't blame him, if Ranma wasn't in such a wonderful mood he would have noticed the biting cold that permeated the air. As it was they had to knock loudly on the hut's door.

There was no response so Ranma knocked again, harder. He was surprised when the door just fell inwards. Xian-Pu looked at him sternly with her hands on her hips.

"Ranma, that not necessary!" Ranma shrugged helplessly.

"Hey, I only knocked light-" He trailed off as he looked around the scene of carnage that was the guide's home. Books, food and various pieces of scrap wood littered the floor, massive cracks wound their way up the walls and the ceiling looked about ready to cave in as it groaned under its own weight. In the middle of it all stood a young man of about Ranma's age holding up the guide with one arm while repeatedly smashing his other fist into the older man's stomach.

_"Tell me where the book is you stupid old geezer"_ The guide's head rolled limply backward, he was already unconscious and unable to answer so the young man threw his body to the side with disgust. The young man turned around and finally noticed the newcomers. _"Hey, get lost; this is none of your concern."_ Ranma was less than pleased at having his perfect day ruined like this. He rolled up his sleeves and entered a fighting stance.

"You made it my concern when you beat up a defenceless old man" The tone was deadly but the young man simply smirked and entered his own fighting stance, one unfamiliar to Ranma.

"Japanese eh? This should be easier than I thought." He rushed Ranma, bowling the latter out of the small hut where it was impractical to fight. They both rolled out of it and stood facing one another, sizing their opponent up. The young man took note of Xian-Pu who stood back from the fight, a confident grin on her face as she settled back to watch Ranma beat up this kid.

"Hey, what's up with your girlfriend, she too chicken to actually fight?" Ranma responded to the jibe with his own, completely ignoring the boy's remark.

"Hey what's with those pantyhose around your waist? You some kind of pervert?" The man was immediately enraged and rushed Ranma once again, delivering a series of quick and savage blows that Ranma actually found difficult to block so he resorted to dodging. When the pantyhose-wearing teen drew back to re-gauge Ranma's abilities he tried another attack at the boy's confidence to see if he could shake him psychologically.

"So you're at Jusenkyo, you looking to get cursed or something?" When Ranma didn't answer and simply maintained his level glare he grinned smugly. "No wait; you're already cursed aren't you? What do you turn into?" Ranma figured if it was a psychological battle the boy wanted he was more than happy to oblige.

"So Pantyhose, that's an interesting fashion choice, I bet the old pervert would love meeting you. Yeah I can see it now, you and Happosai off raiding girl's locker rooms together." The change in his opponent was apparent; he gained a confused searching look as he scanned Ranma's face searching for any hint of a lie.

"Did you say Happosai?!" Ranma's eyes shot up.

"I knew it; you _do_ know the old freak! What, the panties a gift from him or something?" The young man roared something inhuman and charged Ranma once again, his blows becoming even more savage and deadly, however as his attacks increased in power they lost their precision and focus, something Ranma could take advantage of. He was inside the boys defences in a few moments. One Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken later and the boy was down on one knee panting for air, even in this state defiance flashed across his eyes.

"Tel me where the old man is and I'll let you walk away from this alive." Ranma actually laughed directly in the boys face.

"You got to be kidding me, in the state you're in you'd be lucky to hurt a bug. What'd the old letch do to you anyway?" The young man didn't answer; instead he began slowly crawling across the ground, away from Ranma. "Hey, you running away? Should've known you'd be a coward." The boy shot him a dirty look but kept crawling nevertheless. Ranma followed him as he made his pitiful way across the ground.

"You can't possibly understand what that sick old freak did to me!" Ranma kept following him, taunting the defeated boy the entire time.

"Seriously, I can probably guess. Um, he stole your mother's underwear? No, well then he molested your sister right? Nope, did he steal all your valuables after stealing your mom's undies and burying his face in your sister's chest? Ah I bet that's the one, sounds like the old letch to me." He didn't notice that the boy was slowly crawling toward a large snowdrift with a confident and murderous look in his eye. "Anyway, what the heck am I supposed to call you? Pantyhose guy just seems lazy."

With an ear splitting roar the young man drove his arm deep into the snow bank, his body heat immediately melting the frozen water as it soaked his arm. With his last moments as a human he looked at Ranma with a vicious sneer and practically screamed.

"IT'S TARO!" Then his vocal cords shifted in his throat, preventing him from finishing the name as it turned into a series of furious grunts. His whole body warped and strained as muscles burst out and his whole form grew a thick matte of fur. Horns sprang out of his skull and large wings burst out of his shoulder blades, flapping once or twice to make sure they worked. A tail that looked far too alive similarly shot from his lower back and whipped around a few times like a snake writhing around its prey. The entire transformation happened in mere seconds but Ranma got to witness the whole ordeal in gruesome detail. The massive bull-like creature reared up on its thick muscular hind legs and snorted at him. Its hot breath formed a large cloud of steam as it breathed in and out slowly, allowing Ranma to take in his new body. A certain look of pride shone in its eyes as Ranma continued to gawk at his cursed form.

What Taro hadn't been expecting was for Ranma to burst out laughing and fall to the ground clutching his side as he fought for air through the fits of laughter. Taro-Bull tried to protest angrily but all that emerged from his snout was a few grunts and snorts, only doubling Ranma's side-splitting laughter.

"Y-you think you c-can defeat me by turning into a cow?" He wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye. Taro let out another inhuman roar and charged Ranma for the third time. The pigtailed martial artist may have laughed at the transformation but he quickly realised just how problematic it was as the Minotaur unleashed a series of punched with all the original speed but about three times the ferocity and strength.

Ranma dodged them all but one had come so close to caving in his skull that he had felt the wind whistle past his ear. He decided on the same tactic he had used before and rushed the creature's defences. Once again he got through thanks to Taro's instability in his bulkier form. He unleashed another Amaguriken and leapt back from the counter-attack to witness the damage. Taro eyed him over, wondering why Ranma had leapt back from him when he was so close; he then noticed a slight itch on his stomach.

When the cursed teen realised what Ranma had done he let out a cacophonic laugh that grated on Ranma's ears. He too had figured out that his attack had done little to hurt the creature; he was just as or possibly more resilient than even Ryoga. However unlike Ryoga this guy didn't know just what Ranma was capable of or any of his moves. The black-haired boy leapt back into the fight, landing punches across the fur matted flash wherever he could as he continued to dodge any punches or kicks that came his way.

He tried blocking one of the ferocious punches but it nearly broke his arm, after that he purely spent his time dodging or landing the occasional ten blows or so. His feet instinctually took him where he needed to go as he led the beast into an increasingly dangerous manoeuvre. Taro had only just noticed the pattern of footprints in the snow around the two fighters that looked suspiciously like a perfect spiral when it was already too late.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"Immediately a Ki-enhanced vortex ripped the ground out from under the massive creature as he was launched viciously through titanic winds and tremendous pressures. Ranma watched with a smirk as his opponent was carried up and away by one of his most powerful moves. What he failed to notice as he turned around to grin at Xian-Pu was Taro's wings shoot out to either side of him and turn him on a dime in mid-air.

Xian-Pu's warning came too late as the behemoth crashed down on Ranma with all the powers his downward beating wings and the assistance from gravity could give him. Rock and snow erupted from the area and only when the dust and dirt cleared from the air could Xian-Pu see the enormous crater that had formed where Taro had impacted. The bullish creature stood triumphantly, unscathed, over Ranma's limp body.

The boy was covered in bruises and cuts and as he tried to lift his chest up he flopped back down to the ground pathetically. If a bull could grin then Taro was doing it, Ranma had proved a minor annoyance at best and now he had his chance to taunt him. He flipped the defeated warrior over with his hoof so he was on his front. Once again Ranma tried to lift himself using his arms but Taro promptly smashed his hoof into the boy's back, driving the teen back into the dirt.

Seeing that Ranma wasn't going anywhere quickly, Taro turned his attention to Xian-Pu who had watched horrified at Ranma's defeat until now. When she saw the brute approaching her she withdrew her Chúi from seemingly nowhere and dropped into her own fighting stance. Taro simply walked confidently toward the girl, unfazed by her steeled look and confident stance.

Xian-Pu thrust out her Chúi and gained a solid strike on the hairy beast which only seemed to anger him. On the next swipe Taro grabbed the mace end of the Chúi out of the air and crushed it in his palm, the metal crumpling it like the paper bonbori it so closely resembled. Xian-Pu tried a different technique, jumping up and over the creature to take a swipe at its head but she miscalculated just how fast Taro was as he once again caught the mace, with Xian-Pu still attached at the other end.

Once again he crushed the metal sphere and painfully slammed Xian-Pu down behind him. She recovered as quickly as she could but it wasn't fast enough as when she stood up Taro's tail which until now had simply laid dormant sprung out at her. She quickly realised it was an eel when she saw its eyes but that realisation meant very little as it promptly wrapped itself around her hands like a rope and picked her up.

Taro turned around but kept the struggling girl in front of him with the tail, while she dangled he viciously and callously slammed his fist into her stomach over and over, a grin slowly forming on his misshapen face with every solid blow. Ranma watched all of this helplessly from his position on the ground as he continued to try and stand up, his body wouldn't have any of it though and his muscles gave out every time.

Eventually Taro became bored with beating on the defenceless girl and tossed her harshly to the side. She flew through the air and only barely had time to brace herself when she saw her destination, one of the Jusenkyo springs. She put her arms in front of her head awaiting the splash... only to connect solidly with the thick layer of ice that had formed over the spring.

Even Ranma heard the crack that resounded from Xian-Pu's head as she connected with the solid ice. It alone was enough to make him stand up, swaying dangerously as he did so but he gained his footing and didn't collapse back down in a heap. Taro saw this and laughed his disgusting distorted grunt of a laugh but Ranma paid him no heed as he looked over at Xian-Pu who was still and completely unmoving, he couldn't even see if she was breathing from over him.

A wave of pure depression swept over the boy as he contemplated what exactly it meant if Xian-Pu was dead. Taro was still laughing but now he was menacingly approaching the unsteady martial artist, intent on finishing Ranma off once and for all. Tiredly Ranma crossed his arms of his chest which Taro only thought to be a sign of conceit. His pace quickened and he cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He paused a moment when he heard Ranma whisper something he could only just make out.

"Shi-Shi" He snorted out of derision, he must have knocked the guys head in a bit too hard if he was starting to spout nonsense.

"Hoko" It was said louder but words hardly scared Taro, after all that was all they were. As he finally got within striking distance Ranma raised his head, tears streaming from his eyes which Taro laughed at, momentarily hesitating on the blow. It would prove to be his worst mistake.

"DAAAAAAAAAAN!" It was a scream more than a word but Taro didn't have time to consider the semantics as blazing red energy burst out of Ranma, engulfed the pair and kept spreading. Eventually, after a few agonizing seconds Taro felt the energy and heat lift. His fur was singed all over but he wasn't that much worse for wear. He smiled a little, as best he could as a bull, at Ranma's failure, what appeared to be his most powerful move had barely touched Taro.

Ranma barely even seemed to notice his opponent was still standing as he tilted his head up ever so slightly, eyes sill stained by tears. Taro followed his gaze upwards to see that the energy hadn't dissipated at all; instead it hung above the pair as an enormous ball of pure red Ki. He got to see one arc of equally red lightning shoot across the surface of the massive sphere before it plummeted back down to the earth.

It felt like a mountain had fallen on Taro, even in his powerful cursed form the blow from the energy was enough to completely knock him out of his senses. The enormous amounts of Ki simply passed right through Ranma who was completely emotionally drained after the whole experience. He stood there, swaying ever so slightly before his depression addled mind took in the scene around him. The heat from the blast was enough to melt the snow a good distance around them and the warm water was now trickling into the crated, pooling around his feet and Taro's body respectively.

Ranma didn't even wait to watch Taro turn back as he staggered much too slowly out of the giant crater his attack had dug. It was a painful few seconds before he could collapse down to his knees at Xian-Pu's side. Now that he was closer he could see she was in fact breathing, albeit shallowly. He shifted her into the recovery position he had learned at school before finally falling to his own painful wounds and collapsing on top of the ice that covered the spring.

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**Author's Note: I know I've asked for reviews before but I really care about this chapter, so a review on how I portrayed Taro would be much appreciated. He's an interesting character in the series so it matters to me if I got him right.**


	33. Chapter 33

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Ummmm, waffle, waffle, waffle waffle... waffle waffle waffle, waffle, waffle waffle... anybody else getting hungry?

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Ranma was cold, so cold, he felt completely naked but he could plainly see he was wearing his clothes. They were ripped and shredded but they were hanging on. He couldn't make out his surroundings that well, everything was warped and nothing was where it was the second time he looked at it. Even the floor shifted under his feet when he looked away, if you could call it a floor.

A vast desert of ice stretched out in every direction from him and he felt as if he had been walking for hours. In every direction there was a massive snowstorm that raged just beyond his reach, no matter how far he walked or how quickly he ran he couldn't reach that snow. The sky was dark which was only reflected by the glass-like plane of ice below him giving him the feeling he wasn't walking on anything at all.

Finally something changed, off in the far distance he saw a speck, he didn't know what it was or why it was there but it was something. He ran for it, never once taking his eyes off of it or even blinking in fear that it might vanish or move. Even when he was closer, which he was actually getting, he couldn't quite make out what the thing was. It looked like a wall but it was short, not very tall and wasn't dividing anything. Nevertheless it was his only landmark out here in this never-ending tundra.

Finally he reached whatever it was and found it was exactly that, a wall. It was made from rough-hewn stone with nothing remotely remarkable about it, no inscription or ruins either side to indicate what it once might have been, if anything. He circled it once or twice but both sides were exactly the same, grey, unremarkable stone. He collapsed against it, exhausted, he gave up, there was nothing out here and he was now sure he was going to die, where nobody would ever find him, this wall as his gravestone.

He banged his head backwards onto the wall but something strange happened, instead of the expected thud he received a muffled ring, as if he had banged glass. He turned back around and touched the wall with his hand, the supposed wall moved ever so slightly at his touch. He tugged it harder and a large section of the wall came right odd in his hands, it was nothing but painted paper. Behind the illusionary paper there was a mirror, spanning the length of the wall, except when Ranma looked closer it wasn't a mirror but ice, cut so cleanly you would think it was glass.

His image in it was distorted and strange but the longer he looked the more it seemed to resolve into a clear, defined image of himself. Except even that wasn't true as the person who resolved themself in the image wasn't him but his girl form. He looked down at himself just to be sure but he definitely was a guy right now. He peered closer at the girl in the ice and she stared right back at him.

Suddenly the girl sprung away from her side of the mirror without Ranma moving, he jumped back in shock almost as if he were copying the girl. She smiled happily at his reflection before sticking her tongue out at him and taking off in the opposite direction, seemingly further into the parallel mirror world. Ranma rushed up to the mirror and banged heavily on the reflecting ice as if he could break through to the other world and pursue his girl half.

However no matter how hard he hit, punched, or kicked the mirror, the ice didn't so much as crack. It was impenetrable and Ranma could only watch bleakly as his girl half took off running. He tried calling to her and the mirror him stopped, turning slowly, still with a smile on her face. She walked very calmly back to the mirror with her hands behind her back and Ranma watched with fascination as she placed one hand on the mirror's surface, at least on her side.

He slowly reached out his own hand, gently placing it on the mirrored ice which, strangely, wasn't cold to the touch. He panicked as he felt his hand actually drift through the ice even as the girl version of him shifted and assumed his form, his guy form. He was falling, falling through the ice and downwards, far from the mirror, far from the tundra and far from the world. His mirror self calmly looked down as he fell and shifted back into his girl form briefly just to wink at him.

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Ranma jumped out of the strange bed and would have ran straight into a wall if a firm set of hands hadn't clamped onto his shoulders, halting his movement. He looked around him, panting heavily and drenched with sweat, something that seemed improbable considering how cold it was. He was in the Guide's hut, that much was certain as he looked around the small room with the odd book and cooking utensil still strewn across the floor.

It was Xian-Pu's hands on Ranma's shoulders and when he realised this he embraced her strongly, shocking the girl with the power behind the hug. He was just thankful she was okay; he remembered the hit she had taken at Taro's hands and the crack her head had made. Sure enough when he finally released the teen she was wearing a bandage wrapped around her head, not to mention a few other bandages and a sling for her right arm.

Speaking of the teen that had hurt her when Ranma had moved back he spotted Taro tied up in the corner, his hands bound together behind his back, his feet bound and tired to a hook in the floor and his mouth gagged with a bit of cloth. Ranma was about to go over him and kick him, a lot, but the honourable part of him stopped his foot just short. No matter how much somebody had hurt him or the people he knew and cared for, he couldn't just beat them up whilst they were defenceless.

Instead he gave the boy a look that could kill to which Taro replied with his own arrogant look of defiance. Ranma knew the teen was just waiting until he got splashed by some water so he could take his vengeance. Ranma wasn't going to allow that to happen and judging by Taro's injuries he wasn't going to be breaking his bonds any time soon. He turned back around just as the guide entered the hut via the entrance.

"Ahh I see honoured guests are awake, is too too good that you no die." The guide had sustained his own injuries but was still his usual self. Seeing him Ranma immediately remembered why they had come here before Taro had distracted them.

"The springs!" The guide took on a sheepish and apologetic face.

"I very sorry honoured guest, but springs freeze due to crazy weather and probably no thaw until few months." Ranma wanted to drop to the ground and just weep but his own determination kept him standing.

"Then why can't we just melt the water?" The guide kept looking extremely apologetic.

"Again I very sorry but heating Jusenkyo spring water very bad, have very strange effect on curse. Once see people use hot spring water and it turn them into hybrid of them self and curse effect. Most recent was a man who fall in spring of drowned frog on very hot day, not too long after you came and fall in Nyannichuan. He come out as big frog-man, it very very tragic story." Ranma gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Then we'll let the water cool down!" The look the guide gave him told him exactly what the man was going to say but he said it anyway.

"Very sorry but once water out of spring too long without special container then it lose magic, not enough time to cool after heating." Ranma sighed angrily.

"And let me guess, you are very sorry but you don't have any of those special containers do you?"

"Yes honoured guest, must hand craft special barrel from very rare wood to very exact specification. It take many weeks for wood to arrive and then many more to build." Ranma fell back onto the bed he had awoken in and stared at the ceiling which still had cracks running along it.

"Of course it does." Xian-Pu sat on the bed and stared down at Ranma sadly, then up at the guide hopefully.

"You send us barrel once made, yes?" The guide nodded understandingly "Send two barrels of Nyannichuan and Nannichuan to Nerima, Nekohanten cafe and two more to Nyuchiehzu, labelled." Ranma looked quizzically at her when she said the two locations, and she looked back at him, smiling. "We no know where we be at that time." She made a good point, Ranma always found himself moving around and it would be good to have back-ups. The guide for his part looked more than gracious to oblige.

"That seem very fair, will do that as soon as I can. Have good day now." He smiled at them and sat down on a chair, wincing as his side sent out waves of pain. Ranma walked over and picked up Taro, slinging him over his shoulder like a fireman might. They walked out of the guide's hut with mixed feelings , they were sad that they weren't getting cured today yet in the same way they had been excited before, they were happy it was still only a matter of time before they were both cured.

They were also unhappy at the limp, heavy mass currently residing on Ranma's shoulder. Taro was far too injured and tired to struggle but that didn't stop him from shouting muffled threats and curses through his gag. Eventually Ranma took the thing off as he was getting sick of the annoying muffled noises in his ear. Taro just spluttered for a while, trying to get the taste of the foul rag out of his mouth. After that he laughed something Ranma surprisingly found more annoying than the previous curses.

"So, you fell in the Nyannichuan?" He chuckled some more, "Should have known you'd be some kind of freak, now I know you're a herm. At least I didn't get beaten by an actual guy." The teens voice was grating on Ranma's ears and he was starting to wish he hadn't remove his gag.

"If you don't shut up now I'm going to shove this cloth back down your throat." Taro quieted down but every so often he would snicker at Ranma. He got bored of that after a while when he saw Ranma was unfazed.

"So what's your girlfriend got, spring of drowned man?" He laughed again and Xian-Pu shot him a dirty look.

"Xian-Pu no turn into man, that absurd and stupid." Taro seemed pleased he had successfully baited one of them.

"So what is it then? Duck, cow, heron, turtle, twins, cat-" He saw Xian-Pu involuntarily flinch when he said cat. "Got you, so, a cat eh? The fem-boy and the pussy, should have kn-" Ranma had grown tired of the boy abusing them and shoved the rag back in his mouth, The curses and threats resumed but it was a lot better than the alternative.

He was happy when the village gates finally came into view as it promised an end to the verbal torture from Taro. He was about ready to beat the kid's face in by the time they walked through the gates into the village proper. They made a beeline for Ku-Lon's house and were there in a few moments, Taro having gone oddly quiet while they walked through the village. When they walked inside Ku-Lon was sitting at the table sipping tea, she seemed moderately surprised that they had brought a guest, a bound one at that.

"So Great-Granddaughter, Ranma, are you cured?" Their dejected faces told her that they weren't but she would hear why later, for now there was the issue of the young man they had brought into her home. The two teens explained everything that had happened at Jusenkyo and Ku-Lon listened intently, occasionally shooting the odd look at Taro who was grumbling to himself in the corner.

"Well then Taro, what are we going to-?" Ku-Lon was cut off by an uproar from outside the house as a large mobs passed by. One of the people broke off from the group and rushed inside the house, he was a young man in long robes who walked up to Ku-Lon before bowing.

"Matriarch, there is a matter requiring your immediate attention by the battle log." He bowed once again before rushing back outside to join the crowd who were indeed making their own way toward the Battle log. Ku-Lon took one look at Taro before slamming her staff down through his leg bindings into the floor, preventing him from moving. She walked over to the door and picked up another staff from a small holder before hopping outside.

Ranma and Xian-Pu were battered, bruised and tired but they followed the elderly woman out as she hopped off in pursuit of the crowd. They caught up to her in the village square which was packed with people surrounding the battle log. Ranma thought there must have been some important fight going on but when they moved closer he could see that there were three people stood up on the log.

There was a massive man dressed in a tight-fitting black vest with equally black trousers. He had shoulder pads, bracers and greaves all covered in tiger-skin which only added to the menace the muscle-bound man presented. He stood perfectly still with his arms crossed over his chest and his head slowly swung back and forth, eyeing the crowd one by one.

On the other side of the log stood a man who might as well have been his polar opposite. He was small and lean with vibrant blue hair which was mostly covered by a wolf's head cowl. Likewise he was wearing a tight long-sleeved shirt and baggy pants with a wolf fur belt. Far from the stoic mountain that was his companion this man was restless. He bounced on his feet and both his head and eyes darted amongst the crowd, never staying on one face for more than half a second.

Between the two odd individuals was a man who simply exuded confidence and arrogance, he was in-between his companions in terms of height and muscle mass but it was clear to everybody in the crowd just who the leader of the trio was. He stood staring at the crowd, somehow seeming as though he was looking at every face at once and leaned slightly on his right leg as though he was just a normal person waiting for a friend to show up.

The man himself wore a crown that looked comprised of massive teeth, looking too large for them to even be from a shark. The crown rested atop a shock of pure white hair which stretched behind him in a large ponytail. He wore robes as white as his hair adorned by battle armour that managed to look flexible and indestructible all at once due to it being made up of lightly bronzed scaled. When the man spotted Ku-Lon hop in on her staff he smiled warmly, as if he had seen an old friend but there was coldness in his eyes that demanded respect and subservience.

"Ah, I presume you are Ku-Lon, matriarch of the Joketsuzoku?" Ku-Lon took in the trio in one glance.

"And I presume you are members of the Musk Dynasty?" The man in the middle raised his eyebrows at how easily she recognised them.

"Very good Matriarch, I am Herb, current prince of the Musk and these are my bodyguards, Lime and Mint." He motioned to the heavily built man and the smaller agitated man respectively.

"I had believed the Musk to be extinct. What do you want after so long?" The man seemed irritated by something.

"If I extend to you the courtesy of your title, I expect the same of myself old woman." Ku-Lon was appalled, nobody dared speak to her that way but she gritted her teeth.

"Like I said your _highness. _What is it you seek in Nyuchiehzu?" Herb looked a bit more satisfied and continued.

"The Musk would ask of the Joketsuzoku one barrel of Nyannichuan and that is all." Ku-Lon stared at the young man who had so arrogantly walked into their midst and started making demands of them.

"And what might I ask would the Musk desire with such an item?" He turned sharply, looking at her searchingly with a sneer.

"That is none of your concern Amazon." She smirked back at him.

"And what makes you think that the Joketsuzoku are in possession of such a barrel? I'm afraid we are not." There was no apology in her voice when she said it however. Herb's eye simply twitched but he regained his composure quickly.

"You lie." Ku-Lon scoffed.

"A harsh allegation from an outsider. We have told you we are not in possession of that which you seek now I would ask you to leave." Herb's eye twitched again which he once again corrected.

"I would ask you stop repeatedly lying to me." Finally Ranma had decided he was bored by the back and forth.

"Hey jerk, she asked you to leave so leave!" Herbs head shot around in the direction of his voice.

"Who dares address the prince of the Musk with such vulgar language?" The crowd around Ranma parted leaving him alone next to Xian-Pu. Herb strode over to the pair, parting the sea of people as he did so. Ranma held his ground staring confidently and defiantly at the man.

"Ranma Saotome." Herb looked at the young man who had so confidently dared to address him improperly.

"I shall not degrade myself fighting one as weakened from injury as you." Then he looked over Xian-Pu once and turned back around, this time addressing the entire crowd.

"If the Joketsuzoku are so intent on hiding the Nyannichuan water from us then I believe insurance is in order." He clapped his hands together once and Mint and Lime were at his side in seconds. He whispered something to Lime and he strode up to Xian-Pu and promptly hoisted her up onto his shoulder. Ranma immediately kicked him right in the face with a vicious roundhouse but the man barely seemed to notice.

"Hey, just what do you think you're doing with her? Put Xian-Pu down!" He rushed the trio but Herb turned around and in one fluid motion a crescent of burning hot purple energy was swept from his hand and impacted solidly with Ranma's ribs. The pigtailed boy doubled over and fell to the ground even as Herb once again turned to the crowd.

"The Joketsuzoku have five days to deliver the cask of Nyannichuan to the Musk fortress or the consequences for this girl will be dire." With that he strode through the crowd with Mint and Lime in tow and a very angry Xian-Pu kicking and flailing all the way but unable to overcome Mint's enormous strength. Ranma could only watch from his position, winded on the floor, unable to get his breath back. When the trio finally disappeared into the evening mist Ku-Lon hopped over to the stricken boy.

"Cologne! Why didn't you stop them? They have Shampoo!" Ku-Lon stared at him with a mixture of sadness and irritation.

"Don't you think I wanted to boy? But I cannot, as the matriarch of the Joketsuzoku my actions are the actions of our tribe and for me to have stopped Herb would have been an act of war on the Musk." Ranma looked at her blankly.

"He just kidnapped one of your tribe, how much more of an act of war do you want?" Ku-Lon sighed.

"We do not _want_ war Ranma, our last war with the Musk nearly saw both sides devastated beyond repair; they are a breed of warriors that are nearly unsurpassed in skill. We had thought and hoped they died out long ago but now our fears are realised as they returned."

"So you can't go after them, but nothings stopping me from going, I'm no Amazon." Ku-Lon looked at him harshly.

"Don't be foolish boy, those three outmatch you easily, you would have to take them on one at a time and even so by the end of your fights you would be in no condition to fight again." A thought occurred to Ranma.

"So I'll bring back-up." And with that he rushed off in the direction of Ku-Lon's house as she hurriedly followed him. When she reached him he was eying up Taro to which she immediately objected.

"Taro boy? From what you told me alone this particular boy is sadistic, untrustworthy, and dangerous. What makes you think he would agree anyway?" Ranma stared angrily back.

"You're going to give him no choice; surely you have something to help? A magic object or cursed talisman or something?" Ku-Lon stared at Ranma indignantly.

"Please boy, don't just assume I have an artifact for every situation." She then took on a more sheepish tone "But as a matter of fact I do have something that may be what you need." She ducked into the kitchen and descended into the basement, after a few minute she reemerged carrying two bracelets. One had a circle inscribed on it and the other an X. She slipped the X-bracelet onto Taro's hand and offered the other to Ranma who unquestioningly put it on.

"These are very special bracelets, they bind the wearers together so that if the wearer of the circle bracelet dies" She looked down at Taro who was now intently listening, "So too does the bearer of the X bracelet." Now that it was safe to do so she cut Taro's leg and hand bindings with the tip of her staff, allowing the boy to stand. When he removed the gag he gave the old woman a nasty look.

"What the hell, like I'm going to help either of you with anything." Just as he was about to take off the bracelet Ku-Lon stopped his hand with a quick motion with her staff.

"I wouldn't do that boy, taking off that bracelet without Ranma first taking off his own will result in your immediate death." She walked over to Ranma and locked his own bracelet in place with a tiny key, which she kept. "So don't get any ideas." Taro sneered again.

"You think a little lock's going to stop me simply ripping the bracelet off your weakling arm?" Ku-Lon smirked.

"Why don't you go ahead and try?" Something in her voice made Taro pause but he strode up to Ranma who watched him warily and shot out a quick succession of punches, all of which Ranma dodged or blocked, even in his injured state. However he missed a feint and Taro swung a ferocious kick at Ranma's side which connected solidly. Except Ranma felt no pain, instead Taro fell over to the ground clutching his own side, in the exact spot that his kick would have landed on Ranma.

"The bracelets link you completely, any pain you inflict on Ranma will be transmitted to you instead." She looked at Ranma who smirked at Taro from above. "Unfortunately the same goes for you Son-in-Law, I would refrain from harming Taro as you will feel any pain you inflict." Ranma was happy, this would work in keeping Taro by his side and at the same time prevented the boy from trying to double cross him.

"Come on Cow, we have to get going or we'll lose Shampoo." Taro was annoyed, angry and hurt but he grumbled and followed Ranma anyway. He may have been cold, sadistic and callous but dying was not on his list of things to do. Ku-Lon watched Ranma leave with his unwilling bodyguard and sighed, all she could do now was wait and hope, trusting in the boy's abilities.


	34. Chapter 34

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Oh yeah, ooooh yeah, oh god, fuck yeah ughh ugghhh, fuck, ughhh God YES YES YES! Oh shit, did I just write that? Ahh fuck it I don't care, this cake is fucking amazing!

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Xian-Pu had long ago grown bored, she watched listlessly as the path continued to wind underneath her. She could lift her head and look around them but it was all just either forest or farmland so there wasn't much point. Initially she had struggled against her captors but Lime's grip was like steel and when it was made clear he wasn't letting go of her for anything she stopped kicking. In fact the only interesting aspect of their continuous journey was the interaction between her three kidnappers.

There was a definite master-subordinate aspect to how Herb talked to his two companions however there was also something underlying that. They talked almost how friends might, even joking occasionally. Lime mostly stayed quiet but Mint talked animatedly, always trying to seek attention from his two companions, he was like a lost puppy which made his choice of apparel very fitting. Occasionally Herb would respond to him, either to berate him for never stopping or to join in on a joke.

Soon even that grew tiresome and Xian-Pu managed to block out their droning talks like she did the birds and other ambient sounds of the forest. She instead concentrated on just how she was going to take her revenge on these men when she had the chance. She hoped Ranma wouldn't beat her to it as she wanted to make them suffer for the indignity of being kidnapped. They wouldn't even take her seriously, treating her more like a sack of rice than a human being.

From what they talked about before she zoned out she knew it was a day and a half's journey to wherever they were going, Herb merely called it the fortress. She found this strange how her Great-Grandmother had no idea that there were people so close to them she didn't know about. She had heard fleeting tales of the Musk and their barbaric practises concerning their mating but for those childhood bedtime stories to become a reality, it was surreal.

She wondered about her captors some more. Lime was easy to decipher, the typical strong, silent type that made the ideal bodyguard. Mint on the other hand seemed a bit more complicated, he was small, lean and not at all muscular, bringing into question his use as a bodyguard. The way he acted was like an incessant little brother, always moving, never staying still and always running up ahead and then back to give brief scout reports.

She still hadn't figured the teenager out by the time night fell and they set up camp for the night. Far from the simple tents and campfire Xian-Pu had grown used to over the past week, Lime produced an enormous pack he had been carrying and started setting up a large marquee. Lime set her down for the first time that day and Mint stood guard around her, literally as he zipped back and forth around her covering all angles with a particularly nasty serrated blade in his hand.

Lime returned from the forest carrying an entire tree trunk on his shoulders, whilst Xian-Pu knew he must have been strong she had to revaluate her opinion of just how strong the muscled teen really was. Lime used the trunk as a prop for the massive amounts of fabric somehow packed into his pack before hammering down the edges with metal stakes, with his bare hands. It was an impressive display of raw power, easily matching Ryoga, yet something made Xian-Pu think that even the lost boy would have been vastly outclassed here.

When they finally allowed her access into the tent it had been lavishly furnished with decadent pillows and carpet. Xian-Pu once again wondered just where all of this had come from; surely Lime couldn't have carried it all? Large curtains of fabric hung down from the ceiling, dividing the marquee into five segments, four around the outside and a communal area at the centre. A large fire pit had been dug in the centre which Lime and Herb were now sitting around, warming themselves as the night's chill began to set in.

Xian-Pu watched the smoke from the fire drift lazily up and out of the hole in the tent's material before being roughly pushed forward by Mint. Herb looked up cheerfully and if Xian-Pu hadn't seen how he had acted in Nyuchiehzu she might have actually believed he was just a normal guy out camping with friends. However when Herbs eyes rested on her a steely glint flashed as he examined her closely.

She felt like a piece of meat on display being eyed up by a potential customer for flaws, that was the impression Herb's cold and calculating but interested glare gave her. She could see Lime was doing the same thing except he was actually trying to be subtle about it, looking at her from the corner of his eye. She could only imagine that Mint was doing the exact same thing behind her and as this awkward silence where the three boys merely stared at her continued she grew increasingly irritated and uncomfortable.

"What you look at?!" Immediately, feeling like a deer in headlights, Lime and Mint looked away, anywhere but Xian-Pu's furious face. Herb on the other hand merely continued his examination of her form, barely even noticing her angry question. When he decided that he was done he finally addressed her.

"I suppose I should apologise for my companion's behaviour, they are not used to the company of women. Neither should I say, am I, so I suppose it is only natural they are curious." Xian-Pu didn't particularly care.

"Tell them stop, is too too rude!" Herb seemed to find the way she talked to him almost funny.

"Very well, you are our guest after all." Lime and Mint, who had finally joined his companions around the campfire, seemed disappointed and slunk off to their segments of the tent, leaving Xian-Pu alone with Herb. He too stood up but first motioned to the segment farthest from the tent flap.

"Those are your sleeping quarters, as you probably understand we cannot allow you to escape so you must be shackled but we will try to make it as comfortable as possible." Xian-Pu sneered, they could make her as comfortable as they liked but kidnapping was still kidnapping. Herb led her into the curtained off section that was hers and promptly shackled her legs into an awaiting iron loop in the floor at the foot of a pile of cushions she assumed was her bed for the night.

Herb left without another word leaving Xian-Pu to her thoughts. Of course the first thing she tried was freeing herself from the cuffs around her ankle but short of breaking her foot she wasn't going to get herself out of the steel ring. Next she tried the iron hook in the ground but it must have been Lime's handiwork hammering it into the ground as she couldn't even budge it an inch, despite the fact it was only buried in soil.

Finally she gave up and collapsed onto the soft cushions, at least she would be somewhat comfortable in their care. It was certainly better that it could have been if her kidnappers weren't at least honourable. She lay there a while, unable to sleep even when the fire outside burned itself out and the entire tent was plunged into darkness save for the few streams of moonlight that managed to worm their way in through the smoke hole.

After about twenty minutes of this insomnia she heard a sniffing coming from her door that sounded dog-like. Mint came cautiously through the flaps of her divider, instead of confront the boy Xian-Pu continued to feign sleep and see what he was doing. Except he didn't do anything, he simply sat down, legs-crossed and watched her sleep, occasionally cocking his head to the side as if listening out for something.

Xian-Pu was just about to confront him when he moved forward and prodded her breast lightly with his finger. That was the last straw, Xian-Pu slapped the boy straight across the face causing him to yelp out in surprise and back away from the girl, clutching his cheek. She glared at him furiously and he cowered under that gaze.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean- I was just- sorry, sorry" it was pitiful to watch and Xian-Pu's gaze softened.

"What you do that for?" The boy looked up at her, highly unsure of what to do; he hadn't expected to get caught. He twiddled his fingers in a way that reminded Xian-Pu of Ryoga when he was embarrassed about something.

"I've never..." He gulped loudly, "I've never seen a girl before." Xian-Pu was taken aback by this, how was that even possible?

"What you mean? What about mother?" The boy seemed saddened and Xian-Pu couldn't help but continue to draw parallels between his behaviour and that of a dog. He hung his head down and if he had a tail she was sure it would have been in between his legs.

"We're taken away from our mothers when we're very young to be trained." Now that Xian-Pu could relate to. She too had been taken from her family when she was young however she had still been allowed to see them, to be completely removed from them at such a young age, well she guessed only Ranma had any experience that could compare.

"That terrible" The boy looked up, seeing the empathetic expression on Xian-Pu's face, not being used to girls he mistook it for sadness.

"Oh no, it isn't all bad, we're trained to the peak of our abilities to become some of the strongest warriors in China." He beamed happily, trying to get Xian-Pu to stop looking at him that way. For Xian-Pu's part she wasn't quite sure how to act around this boy, at one moment he seemed pitiful and the next he was happy and cheerful for odd reasons. Throughout the whole of the conversation Mint seemed unable to stop his eyes drifting down to Xian-Pu's chest, something she noticed as she crossed her arms.

"Why you keep looking at Xian-Pu like that? It rude" Mint just cocked his head to the side.

"Why?" Xian-Pu's eyes narrowed at the odd question.

"It just is!" Mint's head cocked in the opposite direction this time.

"But why?" Xian-Pu was now irritated; it was like trying to explain something to a child. "Is it rude if you look at my chest?" Xian-Pu's voice wavered as she replied.

"Well, no-" She was about to continue when Mint cut her off.

"That doesn't seem very fair." Xian-Pu really was starting to get annoyed with the imbecilic questions.

"Then Xian-Pu no look at your chest!" Mint's eyes furrowed and his tongue stuck out the side of his mouth as he thought for a moment.

"You looked at Lime's chest." Xian-Pu was just about ready to slap the boy again.

"No can help it, he carry me and my neck get tired if I look away" Mint seemed upset that his point was wrong. "Chest is for Airen's eyes only." She said it resolutely, wanting this odd conversation to be over; at least Mint had stopped looking at her chest, unable to think of a valid reason to do so.

"Who's Airen?" Xian-Pu rolled her head back in exasperation.

"That no matter, he come and rescue me and beat all of you." She eyes him carefully; trying to match the cold steel she had seen in Herbs eyes. "If I no beat you first." Mint did recognise the look and decided to end the conversation there, bad things tended to accompany that look. He crept out of the area but before he left completely he turned around and looked at her one last time.

"Thank you for talking with me." And then he was gone, leaving Xian-Pu confused and rubbing her forehead. After about ten more minutes of trying to get to sleep she heard another scuffle outside her door as the larger and less agile form of Lime crept into her room. Xian-Pu lightly banged her head against the floor; this was going to be a long night.

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A thousand or so feet behind the much larger encampment Taro and Ranma were settling down for the night. Ranma had wanted to carry on through the night but he was tired and sore and he had to succumb to his bodies own need for rest. Taro was more than happy about this, he too was hurt and exhausted, not that he would ever admit it to Ranma. The two had jogged non-stop from the village after collecting a few essentials and equipment from Ku-Lon.

Taro stared down at the bracelet on his wrist, the accursed thing was the only thing keeping him here, acting a bodyguard to the fem-boy. Whilst he was unable to hurt Ranma, nothing stopped him from taunting the boy to no end about his curse or his inability to protect his girlfriend. Ranma replied by increasing the pace, something Taro was forced to match as if he moved more than one hundred feet from Ranma, pain shot from his arm and threatened to knock him out.

For somebody who was used to taking shortcuts and quick fixes in order to increase his own power, something his cursed form gave him, he wasn't use to this much exercise. His lungs, legs, and back all burned from the exercise that seemingly left Ranma untouched as he went about cooking their dinner. The pigtailed boy hadn't said a word to Taro since leaving the village; instead his face had taken on a blank, unemotional expression that might've frightened Taro if he didn't despise the Japanese boy so much.

Something else was worrying Taro, he had no idea what would happen if he turned into his cursed form, the bracelet of his wrist seemed somewhat pliable but he wasn't sure it would stretch enough to accommodate his other forms vastly increased size. If it broke during the transformation then he would die, it was certainly a thought that made him gulp every time it crossed his mind.

He was going to have to face it sooner or later as without his cursed form he wasn't sure how much of a help he could be to Ranma. It was a lose/lose situation, either transform and possibly die or don't transform, get Ranma killed and definitely die. It was torture to be this helpless and when he saw that Ranma had finished boiling the water for their ramen he acted on instinct. He drove his hand into a nearby snow bank, letting the newly melted water run across his arm.

The change was immediate, he swelled up in size and he could feel the raw strength in his muscles as he gave them an experimental flex. He wasn't dead, that was good but when he looked down he could clearly see that the bracelet was exactly where it was a few seconds ago, securely on his wrist. It actually seemed to have grown in size to accommodate the change; something he was happy about as if it hadn't it would have either broken apart or mutilated his wrist.

He walked back toward the fire where Ranma watched him curiously but still on his guard. He knew Taro couldn't touch him as long as he wore the bracelet but he was still prepared for anything the ruthless teen might try. To his surprise the beast simply grabbed the water pot and tipped a little over his head, triggering the reverse change. A now human and wet Taro sat down at the fire after placing the pot back where it was, just a little bit emptier.

"What was that about?" It was the first thing Ranma had said since they had left the village and despite the innocence of the question Taro found it still irritated him.

"Making sure I could still change, after all I have to keep your sorry hermaphrodite ass alive." Ranma glared at him but didn't respond to the taunt. He handed Taro some noodles and they boy sat in awkward silence, eating. Ranma wasn't enjoying the silence; whilst it was fun watching Taro become annoyed as his threats and taunts went unanswered he wasn't used to a lack of conversation.

"You know, I never got an answer out of you, what the heck did the old freak do to you anyway?" Taro shot him a deathly glare.

"That's none of your business."

"No seriously, does it have something to do with your curse?" Taro just continued the evil stare.

"I said it's none of your business!" he threw the bowl of noodles at Ranma, receiving a slightly painful blow to the shoulder for his troubles before standing up and moving to his sleeping bag. Ranma knew this was a touchy subject and usually would have dropped it at that. Except he didn't particularly care if he aggravated Taro, and he was curious now.

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**Author's Note: Woooooh! 100,000 words. Pretty awesome considering I didn't think I'd get past chapter three :)**


	35. Chapter 35

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. By the way, that cake I was talking about... total lie. You hear that? The cake was a lie.

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Ranma was up and moving before even the sun, something Taro wasn't at all pleased about.

"Hey fem-boy, your girlfriend can wait, I need my sleep!" Ranma just smirked and tapped his bracelet before walking off down the path. Taro was up in seconds, packing up his sleeping bag and sprinting after Ranma before he could reach the invisible one hundred feet boundary. "That's not funny Jerk!" Again Ranma didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer, merely increasing his pace.

"Okay seriously, this no talking thing is getting irritating. I at least have to know what we're up against!" Ranma slowed down, falling into step with Taro as he remembered what Ku-Lon had managed to tell him before they left.

"From what I understand they're called the Musk Dynasty. They're an ancient tribe of male warriors who prided themselves on breeding the strongest fighters in the world. To do this they dipped animals in the Nyannichuan waters and mated with them. Apparently this gave their children the traits of whatever animal the woman had been before." Taro sneered, disgusted.

"So they're a bunch of sick perverts?" Ranma sighed.

"No, apparently they stopped doing that centuries ago, but the traits of the animals are still in their blood. There was this one guy who was dressed up in all tiger skins, so I assume he's descended from a tiger, one of the others looked like it might have been a wolf. I don't know exactly what that means for their abilities but I guess we'll find out." Taro stared at him, waiting for something.

"What about the third guy? When you talked to that shrivelled old woman you said something about a third guy." Ranma winced, rubbing the spot on his chest where the blast of Ki had hit him.

"I don't know, but his Ki attacks are powerful and he barely broke a sweat doing them, I don't know what that means but we're going to have to figure out a way to neutralize it."

"Ki, that's that emotional energy crap right?" Ranma nodded, irritated at the way taro talked about such powerful attacks.

"Yeah, that emotional crap that kicked your ass." Taro grimaced at the memory and the two lapsed back into their silent walk. Ranma was using his extensive tracking abilities honed over years of living in the wilderness for extended periods, only eating what he and his father could catch. In all fairness the three captors hadn't made it that difficult to follow them, they had found the remnants of their camp after about twenty minutes, meaning that the Musk warriors also must have been up early.

They moved at a fair pace but they never caught up with the three men and their captive who seemingly always stayed one step ahead of them. Taro kept complaining about every little thing just to annoy Ranma, and it was succeeding. It was everything from the pace, to the pointlessness of the journey, to the lack of food and even insignificant things like the forest smelled funny. Ranma perked his head up at the last criticism, he smelt something strange as well.

He couldn't quite place it but it was definitely familiar, like an instinct he felt he should know but wouldn't come to the forefront of his mind. The irritating question was answered for him when they turned a corner in the path into an inferno. The entire forest ahead of them was ablaze with fire, bright orange and yellow streaks of heat flashed upwards in mesmerising patterns that flicked back and forth, even as they devoured the forest in their path.

The noxious smoke that belched from the roaring flames made Ranma's eyes water, even from his position outside of the fire. Taro stared smugly at him, already turning around, figuring their mission was now completely pointless. Ranma grabbed his arm, gave him a determined look that made Taro's stomach flip in anxiety, and rushed head first into the blaze. Taro stared after him incredulously as the insane teen disappeared into the orange haze that surrounded the trees up ahead.

He sniffed; grateful that the fire would take care of the annoyance; however a shooting pain erupting from his wrist quickly reminded him just who's fate he was tied to. After a few more seconds of indecision, the blinding ain made up his mind for him. It was either stay here and definitely die or brave the flames, possibly live and then kill Ranma later for doing something so stupid.

He sprinted after the pigtailed teen into the scalding heat of the flames, his skin quickly received a fine layer of soot, his clothes got singed and he could barely see from all the smoke. He couldn't stop it entering his lungs no matter how hard he tried and soon he was retching and coughing as he ran, adamant on just finding his way out of this hellish nightmare. He was becoming desperate as the air around him grew thicker with the all smothering smoke and his vision grew even more blurry.

Then there was hope as he spotted a patch of bright light up ahead, it was faint and might have been a figment of his oxygen deprived brain but it was the only thing he had so he ran. His muscles had barely any energy left to give and his vision grew worse and worse by the second but the human body could do incredible things when motivated.

* * *

Xian-Pu stood anxiously next to Mint and Lime as the three of them waited for Herb to come back from whatever he was doing. It was the first time they had stopped all day, not that Xian-Pu was tired, being carried all the time helped conserve your energy. She was still curious however, except when she tried to see what it was Herb was doing, despite him being out of sight, Mint and Lime would start asking her inane questions that increasingly frustrated her.

The two were skilled warriors, which Xian-Pu, as a martial artist herself, could tell. Except they treated talking to her like she was a different species, and they were curious about everything. Most frustrating of all was that their favourite topic of conversation was her breasts; they wouldn't shut up about them, even to each other. She would hear them whisper to one another, pointing at her and giggling or looking awed like a pair of toddlers.

She tried to block them out but by the time she could actually just ignore them Herb was already coming back. He had a very self-satisfied grin on his face and was wiping his hands as if he had just finished cleaning up a mess. He motioned to Lime who quickly picked up Xian-Pu and plopped her back down on his shoulder. They got ready to move out but Herb stopped them with his hand and looked thoughtfully at Mint.

"Stay here for five minutes, make sure they aren't still following us and join up with us after that."

Xian-Pu's heart soared, there was only one person that 'they' could be and it meant her Airen was already after them. Her mind completely ignored the rest of what Herb said and it was only when they started walking a bit higher up the ridge and she saw the mass of smoke and accompanying orange flame that she understood just what Herb had done. A tear escaped her eye as she whispered into Lime's back.

"No, Ranma"

* * *

He lapsed in and out of consciousness but he got the general jist that something was tugging on the back of his shirt, dragging him somewhere. He faded out again but when he finally regained consciousness he quickly saw that he was outside, under the sky. He sat up, sucking air back into his lungs, even as his body was trying to dispel all the carbon dioxide and smoke from himself. The result was a horrible fit of racking coughs that shook his body and caused him to heave the contents of his pitiful breakfast up onto the grass.

He looked over and saw that Ranma was doing the same, that wasn't good, he remembered being dragged. That meant he had collapsed running out of the fire and Ranma had saved his life, He didn't feel all that grateful. He wasn't going to let Ranma think he had done him a favour after saving his life in a situation the pigtailed boy had put him into in the first place. He tried to get up and tell him exactly that but his muscles wouldn't cooperate and trying to talk simply resulted in another fit of coughs that almost had him retching up his windpipe.

Both teens lay on the cool grass for a while, regaining their strength and letting their bodies recuperate as they watched the forest burn out of the corner of their eyes. It was a good half an hour before even Ranma was able to get up and unsteadily walk over to a nearby stream, taking a generous helping of water to calm his burning throat. He made a bowl with his hands and carried some water over to where Taro was still lying and offered his hands out.

Taro wanted to spit in his face but his body lacked the moisture to do so, instead all he could do was reluctantly accept. He wasn't going to pass down free water when his throat was on fire; it went against his natural self-preservation instinct. It was something that was deeply ingrained in Taro above all else, it was the only reason he was on this stupid trip after all. The drink was enough to get him on his feet and allowed him to make his own, painful way to the stream where he could slake his thirst. He looked over to where Ranma was pacing, clearly in deep thought and the worst of his pains seemed to be over.

"Hey, how come," He coughed as more smoke was expunged from his body "how come you're fine so quickly?" Ranma waved him off with a hand gesture.

"Pop liked to use fire as a training tool." He lifted the back of his shirt showing Taro a nasty burn on his side, just above the hip. "Said that it was easy to manipulate so my enemies might use it. He was always preparing me for stuff like that." Taro silently thanked Ranma's father, whoever he was as the training had definitely paid off today.

"Sounds like a crazy asshole." Ranma shot him a look that said he wasn't going to talk about it anymore before returning to thought. "What the hell are you doing anyway?" Ranma didn't stop pacing as he answered.

"I lost their trail when they burned the forest; I need to find a way to pick it up again." Taro just erupted into laughter, an impressive feat considering the pitiful condition his lungs were in. Ranma's face grew red and his eye twitched as he watched the sadistic teen fall to the ground in a mixture of coughing and laughing, which sounded worse than when his cursed form tried to do the same thing.

"Sure, laugh it up 'cause I'm not taking this bracelet off until I find Xian-Pu, so that means you're along for the ride as well." Taro just shook his head, he tried to talk but he couldn't manage it between the coughing and the laughter. Instead he pointed to something behind Ranma, causing the pigtailed boy to turn slowly.

Behind him, high up on a mall mountain was a massive fortress. It was built from a dark, blackened rock which Ranma could make out even from here was damaged by cannon fire and general wear. It didn't detract from the overall menace of the looming castle and Ranma couldn't imagine how the Amazon's had managed to miss this monstrosity for so long. At the same time however Ranma could see a haunting beauty in the sweeping turrets and monochromatic nature of the place. He was tempted to just start walking then and there but he wasn't that cruel, Taro was obviously in no condition to start walking yet so instead he sat down by the river and contemplated what lay ahead.

* * *

Xian-Pu was also awed by the monolithic structure that was the Musk fortress. Hours ago Mint had returned saying he hadn't seen anybody emerging from the flames, he had even stayed there a few minutes longer to make sure. Xian-Pu had honestly felt like crying freely but had too much dignity to degrade herself in front of her kidnappers. Anyway, Ranma was strong and had faced worse, she knew he would have made it through the fire; her only concern was in what condition.

She hadn't long to dwell on it as the trio ascended the mountain toward the Fortress gate. It was a massive, solid oak affair that was let down by enormous steel chains that looked like something an anchor should be tied to on a cruise liner. The whole place reeked of antiquity and tradition, even the clothing was very traditional. It was an ancient design, something that didn't belong in working condition in the twentieth century.

Lime finally set her down but walked steadily behind her to make sure she went in the proper direction. Mint, far from the quiet dominance emanating from his companion, was like a puppy returning home. He zipped around, greeting everybody he knew that crossed their path and everybody seemed equally annoyed by it, not that the excited teen noticed. Xian-Pu noticed something else as she was frog-marched through the elegant hallways and ornate archways.

Every single person they met was a man, not a single woman was in sight. Not only that but they were all looking at her with the most amused, frightened, or curious looks, she knew they saw women only rarely but she really couldn't believe just how alien she must be to them. It was like an entire community of people exactly like Mint and Lime, then with a groan she realised; that was exactly what it was.


	36. Chapter 36

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. You know what screw it okay? These are my characters, all mine, who gives a- wait, what's this? Why the hell are you handing me a piece of paper? Oh, um, nevermind guys, I retract what I said. On a completely unrelated note, law suits are no trivial matter.

* * *

The mausoleum-like fortress was even more daunting the closer Taro and Ranma got to it. The obsidian black walls stretched up, blocking all view into the castle and their surfaces allowed no grip, they were truly built to last. Of course it was an archaic design and wouldn't hold out against an aerial bombing or any real attack from above. Ranma had been contemplating just how they were going to get in there for over an hour, unfortunately nothing came to mind.

The front gate was obviously out, when had walking up to your enemy and asking for their hostage back ever worked? The walls were impossible to scale without some kind of climbing equipment, when the two teens sorely lacked. It would take far, far too long to dig under the walls, not to mention that on a mountain like this there was sure to be a layer of rock acting as the foundations for the larger walls.

It had gotten to the point where they were sat around a small fire for warmth and Ranma was just staring off into space while Taro shot him evil thoughts and glances. Taro couldn't believe how idiotic Ranma was being; he had found it fun to watch the boy squirm and pace for a while, all the while taunting him quietly. Now it was just becoming pathetic and boring so he stood up, walked over to where Rama was sat, deep in thought and pulled out a flask of water from the teen's pack.

With a quick motion he poured the liquid all over himself and thankfully expanded out into his cursed form. Ranma had stopped pondering to watch with intrigue, when Taro gave his wings an experimental stretch he finally understood. He stood up angrily, tempted to hit the annoying teen-turned-bull-creature but the bracelets prevented even that.

"You could have done that at any time?" Taro-bull merely shrugged but the wicked glint in his eyes told Ranma that he could have. "We could have flown here instead of getting caught up in that fire you know." This made the cocky beast pause then grunt. He didn't like it when Ranma was right, they could have flown and headed off Herb at any time yet they had instead walked, nearly dying in that blasted inferno.

Still annoyed he motioned with one massive arm at the space in between his shoulder blades, then at Ranma. The pigtailed martial artist complied and hopped up with grace into the spot indicated. Taro grunted when he came down and without warning to the other teen, took off. To say that it was exhilarating for Ranma was an understatement, he loved the feeling of un-encapsulated flight. The wind rushing through his tied-back hair and across his exposed skin was indescribable, at that very moment he actually envied Taro for his curse.

Taro was thinking along similar lines, he still hadn't become used to flight; it was an aspect of his curse that still exited and scared the teen. Despite having the curse pretty much from birth he still considered it to be merely a side of him, not the real half. He always imagined somehow getting cured and dropping from thousands of feet from the sky to the ground or a watery grave. Continuing that train of thought he looked down, wondering just how long it would take for Ranma to hit the ground from this height.

There was the unfortunate aspect of him dying as soon as Rama hit the ground as well but the option was always open. Taro had decided it would be best to stay as high as possible until they were directly overhead of the fortress. He had a lot of experience when it came to infiltrating facilities from above and some of it had taught him to avoid flying low. One trip to a Chinese military base had really hammered that message home when he flew away, followed not too closely by a few surface-to-air, heat-seeking missiles.

Taro tried to figure out a way of warning the teen on his back that he was about to begin his very rapid descent. Finding none he simply tucked in his wings and dropped. Ranma immediately dug his hands into Taro's fur, causing a few light scratches to appear on his own back, but ignoring the pain he hung on for dear life. His pleasant flight had turned into a hellish drop to the earth with the wind biting his face and tearing dangerously at his clothes.

After a few seconds that lasted far too long for Ranma's liking Taro's wings shot out to either side and they levelled out. They were only like this for a few seconds before Taro stuck his legs down like a plane's landing gear and came to a surprisingly peaceful and quiet stop. Ranma shakily departed the hairy creature and took a few moments to simply appreciate the ground beneath him. Next he pulled out a thermos of hot water and drenched the large beast.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Ranma shushed him, warily looking around them. Luckily there was nobody else in sight around the small courtyard they had landed in.

"You were hardly discrete like that. I have another flask or when we start to face trouble. Until then we keep a low profile and try and find Xian-Pu." Again Ranma looked around them, quickly taking in what he could. They were in a small, square courtyard with a few corridors leading off in different direction. Instead of the fool's choice he leapt gracefully up onto the roof surrounding the courtyard, to which Taro followed.

Immediately Ranma had their goal in sight, in one corner of the complex rose an enormous tower that was surrounded by the largest buildings in the fortress. The two would-be rescuers set off without hesitation, hopping from ceiling to ceiling, roof to roof until they were closer to the tower. They looked up at the very top and saw a single window flicker with light, the sight of which caused Taro to groan.

"Damn, I could've flown straight in there" Ranma turned round, motioning to him to lower his voice.

"Well too late, I only have enough hot water for one more change back and if that isn't the right window then it's gone, we'll need to find a different way in." Taro huffed in annoyance but his attitude quickly changed when he spotted two patrolling guards and nudged Ranma with his elbow.

* * *

"This isn't going to work"

"Shut up, it'll work"

"They'll see through this. They're not even the right size."

"I said shut up" The two had bickered under their breath like this for fifteen minutes, the remarks getting more and more heated every time a guard patrol passed by. The armour they had stolen was uncomfortable, didn't fit, and made even walking difficult for the two teen but apparently they were good enough actors for the guards not to notice the difference.

"This is stupid; it's the corniest thing from a film ever done."

"Well at least it works in the films." Ranma stared at him incredulously.

"No it doesn't! It fails like every time." Taro shrugged; honestly he had never been that interested in any movie enough to follow it through to the end. He had a short attention span and movies were just too long for him. After another thirty minutes of wandering the dizzying maze of corridors and passages the tension had eased and Ranma trusted in the disguises to do the talking for them. None of the guards talked to them or acknowledged them as they walked by so Taro and Ranma did the same, everyone simply saw the helmet and figured that was enough proof of identity.

They felt as though they had scoured every inch of the castle before they finally came upon a set of ornate, finely carved oak door set into the stonework. There were two guards on either side of the door and when they tried to simply walk through them to open the door they stopped them. Just before they were about to ask questions Ranma and Taro shared a mutual look and quickly knocked the two guards out. Taro may have been a bit overzealous in his blow but Ranma didn't have the time to scorn him as they dragged the bodies off into a nearby darkened alcove.

Satisfied that the two sleeping guards couldn't be spotted by a passerby they both placed their hands on the heavy doors and pushed. It opened with surprising fluidity and silence, the hinges being very well maintained, and they closed it behind them in a similar manner. They both turned to look around the new room however something more important caught their collective eyes. Standing in the middle of the room, looking fairly curious, was Lime.

The large, muscled man peered at the unfamiliar guards for a moment, he may have been naive and childish in some aspects of life but he certainly wasn't stupid. He recognised the boy who had challenged his friend and master back at the Amazon village.

"Hey you're the guy Herb beat back at Nyuchiehzu. You're supposed to be dead." Ranma smiled cockily, already throwing the flask of cold water over to Taro.

"People have a habit of trying to kill me, never really works out well for them so don't feel too bad about it." Lime had to take a few seconds to figure out what the strange boy had meant but in that time Ranma had shucked his heavy armour in favour of his lighter clothing. Taro had also gone though his own change, something that didn't seem to frighten or surprise Lime. He had of course heard about Jusenkyo, not many people in the Musk hadn't, it was their lineage after all.

While Ranma preferred to size up his opponent's strengths and weaknesses through controlled initial fighting, as was the Anything Goes way, Taro had a very different style to fight with. He rushed at the massive man and immediately went on a full offensive of kicks, punches, and pretty much anything else in an attempt to wear the boy down or knock him out. It wasn't working; Lime methodically blocked, parried, or countered every one of Taro's attacks with surprising speed.

Unsurprisingly, every time Lime countered, his massive strength allowed the blow to actually make it through Taro's weak defences. Taro, having been used to always being the stronger combatant in any fight was suddenly put at a major disadvantage as he found himself on the receiving end of a vicious offensive. If Ranma hadn't joined in he was sure the fight would have ended unfavourably for him.

As it was Ranma did join in, using tactical blows to attack vital areas of the behemoths body. He could quickly see that this boy was on an entirely different level to much of what he had fought before even Ryoga wasn't this strong or durable. After several repeated Amagurikens to vital areas, including one that Ranma wasn't particularly proud of, Lime didn't seem any worse for wear. Feeling disheartened, and not expecting the speed at which Lime could actually move, Ranma was caught in a glancing blow to his side from one of Lime's impossibly powerful blows.

He was sent head over heels across the small room to land painfully in a self-made crater in the far wall. He slid down and groaned, painfully clutching his side, it was a shock wound and nothing more but the speed and ferocity of the attack wasn't to be underestimated, if it had hit his head he might be dead. Nothing was broken, at least nothing inside of Ranma anyway. The flask in his pocket that was there in case Taro had to change into his cursed form for some reason had shattered and the contents had leaked out onto Ranma, triggering the change immediately.

He stood up, rather unsteadily, and brushed off the small pieces of wall that had ended up on him. He noted with a sigh that his shirt had gotten torn up in the attack and was barely covering his modesty but he didn't have time to dwell on his fashion right now so he dived straight back into the ensuing battle. He didn't actually get a chance to help out Taro, who was once again on the losing end of some serious blows, as a blur of grey fur and black clothing cut him off.

Suddenly, as if he had merely willed himself into existence, Mint was standing between him and the pair of combatants on the other side on the room. He was angrily tossing a serrated knife up into the air and catching it, snarling as he did so.

"You were trying to hurt Lime!" Ranma smirked, something that was becoming somewhat of an effort against these seemingly hopeless odds. Ranma would later wish he hadn't underestimated the smaller man in the village. In the time it took for Ranma to lean back into an offensive fighting stance Mint had already closed the distance between them. It was only Ranma's incredibly honed reflexes that kept him alive as a flurry of knife thrusts started filling up the air around him with razor-sharp steel.

Ranma, even with his Amaguriken was unable to keep up with the lean boy's blinding pace. It seemed absolutely inhuman the way his body just blurred, disappearing one moment and reappearing behind Ranma the next. Ranma was already covering in small Knicks and scratches that were nothing serious but he was starting to tire. Mint on the other hand was in his element, nothing was faster than he was and he quickly began picking up the pace, already sensing his opponent slowing down.

The wolf instincts in his very blood smelt the end of the fight drawing near and if he was still amongst his canine brethren he would be slowly circling the wounded prey, ready to deliver the killing blow. Instead he moved in one smooth move that took him all the way around Ranma and allowed him an easy slash at the boy's unprotected back. Ranma's sixth sense for these situations saved him yet again as he dived forward just in time to avoid the fatal blow.

His clothes on the other hand weren't so lucky, his shirt had finally had enough and as he lay on the floor, panting for breath it simply fell into strips around him. The new development hadn't gone unnoticed by his opponent, who was now doing everything in his power to not look at the two mounds of flesh now wholly not covered by cloth. Ranma noticed the change in his opponent and immediately took advantage, it turned out speed meant very little when you couldn't even look at your opponent.

Quickly Ranma had disarmed the small boy and had him on the ground, unconscious. It was a strange turn of events but Ranma wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Quickly he realised that his wasn't the only fight that hadn't been going his way, luckily when he turned around Taro was still only just managed to hold out against the onslaught from the tiger-man. Ranma joined in but was surprised again when Lime turned to face him only to completely freeze up.

Five seconds later Lime was on the ground with his friend after Taro had ripped a large piece of mortar out of the wall and clubbed him over the head with it while he was stunned. Lime may have been inhumanely strong but he was still a human and everybody had their limits, it just turned out that his was about three tons of solid rock. Taro turned to Ranma, staring oddly at his girl form, something he hadn't seen before.

Ranma stared back defiantly but Taro shrugged, snorted once and began to trudge off toward the far end of the room where a large ornate door was covered in gold leaf in intricate spiral patterns. If Xian-Pu wasn't behind it then at least Herb would be. Ranma cracked his knuckles as he moved to join Taro at the massive door.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, got Dishonoured yesterday and have just been playing it in all my free time**


	37. Chapter 37

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. That's it, that's all I got... What? Do you just expect me to have witty and interesting things here all the time?; I have school you know, AS-levels and a life! Jokes :-P

* * *

The massive doors glided open to merely reveal another corridor, not one to be disheartened by a small setback Ranma took off. He jogged the length of the corridor with Taro in tow; they hadn't bothered to change either of themselves back as they predicted a fight ahead. Ranma was still contemplating the strange reactions he had gotten from Mint and Lime over his exposed chest when they got to the second pair of doors.

Not to be outdone these were engraved with impossibly intricate patterns that swirled hypnotically, almost giving Ranma the impression he was staring at water. It was Taro who snapped him out of the daze as he grunted, already pushing through the doors, snapping Ranma out of his trance. He mentally berated himself from getting so easily distracted, by a door no less, when Xian-Pu was at stake.

They opened out into an extravagant and obscenely opulent bedroom. It was all scarlet red drapes and golden embroidery, if it wasn't such an impressing display of affluence Ranma would have called it tacky. The white-haired youth that had abducted Xian-Pu was sat over to one side of the room, carefully reading through some very old scrolls laid out across a large mahogany desk. He noted the arrival of one pair of large, heavy footsteps and another pair of smaller, quieter ones and naturally assumed it was Mint and Lime.

"Mint, Lime, I already told you, you cannot see the prisoner again, she isn't a to-" He cut off mid-sentence when he swivelled in his seat and saw that it wasn't his faithful bodyguards that had approached him. Instead he noted with some peculiarity that it was a young red-haired girl and what appeared to be some kind of horribly mutated bull. Even now the two intruders were giving him absolutely evil looks that radiated loathing.

This was a fairly normal state of being for Taro but for Ranma a whole new level of hatred he had never really felt before swept over him. Merely looking at the older teen that had so embarrassed him and stole Xian-Pu was enough to make his blood boil. It had finally clicked in his head about the strange reactions he had gotten from Lime and Mint but it was only after he remembered what Ku-Lon had told him about the Musk being an all-male society.

Ranma personally wanted a long, drawn out conflict with herb that would allow him to thoroughly pummel the boy for what he had done but his main concern was Xian-Pu. He reached down to the make-shift top he had created from what little shreds of his shirt were left and pulled it up, revealing his ample chest to Herb. Taro looked somewhat surprised but he understood what Ranma was doing after a moment, especially after he too had seen what happened to Herb's bodyguards.

"What the hell are you doing you perverted girl!?" Herb was shocked to say the least when the red-haired woman he had never seen before suddenly bared herself to him. She seemed even more surprised when he didn't respond in the way she had expected him to. Herb waved his hand in a forceful gesture in Ranma's direction and the pigtailed girl was send shooting across the room as an invisible wall of Ki energy struck her. Her body made quick work of the wall and soon she was lying woozily down in a large pool of water.

She regained her senses and noticed she was in a large pool, or perhaps bath seeing as the water was heated. In fact it was warm enough to have triggered his change and soon a now-male Ranma dragged himself out at the edge of the bath. He hauled himself to his feet but above the noise of him steadily dripping onto the clean, polished floor below him he heard something else. It was a quiet and pitiful mewling, emanating from the far side of the bath.

Satisfied that he had dealt with the lesser of the two threats Herb turned in the direction of the beast. Sizing it up he instantly recognised that this creature was no match for Lime in terms of strength. It briefly made him wonder how he and the girl had managed to get by the two, looking at the hairy thing he surmised it wasn't through stealth. He smiled, it was going to be far too easy to dispatch the poor beast, he might even take his time with it.

Taro was under no illusions that this would be an easy fight; based on the skill and powers displayed in encounter with Lime he knew that these people were serious. Not to mention the small display of Herb's own power when he knocked Ranma through the wall with such little effort. Taro was wary for a similar attack, his instincts told him, for the first time ever, to be cautious with the confident looking-man before him.

When no such attack came Taro's mind overrode his instincts and the boy rushed the Prince. He used a powerful backwards sweep from his wings for added momentum and actually managed to get a solid blow on the snowy-haired man, purely out of surprise. Instantly Herb reassessed his opponent, not by much but it was enough for him to take him somewhat seriously. He stood up, allowing the monstrosity to back up a bit and wiped the blood from his nose; he rolled his head once and smiled at Taro.

The noise nearly put Ranma into panic mode as his brain rewired itself into a flight reflex that a normal Ranma had long ago extinguished. His recent training kicked in and the boy steeled himself, slowly pulling his body around to face the noise. Over in the very far corner on the white-tiled room was Xian-Pu, in her cat form, rather ungraceful stuffed inside a cage that was too small for her. He immediately rushed over, completely uncaring that she was a cat, and quickly looked over the cage.

Xian-PU's mews turned from sad to hopeful as she saw her Airen suddenly appear, admittedly through the wall but it was good nevertheless. She quietened down when she saw a bead of sweat roll down Ranma's forehead and remembered how difficult it was for him to be close to her like this. He couldn't find a key to the small lock that adorned the door to the cage so instead he resorted to simply breaking open the cage.

He was about to bend the small steel bars apart when, similar to his own entrance, when Taro's beast form crashed through the wall from the bedroom. He was thrown with considerably more force and created a large crater in the far wall before sliding limply into the water. Ranma had no more cold water left to convert Taro back into a form he could actually be of use in so instead he allowed the boy to remain unconscious.

Herb strode proudly over the rubble and immediately noticed the lack of his two previous opponents, instead there was the floating form of a young man and another shirtless boy holding Xian-Pu's cage. He laughed immediately, insulting Ranma even more as he did so.

"I should have known Jusenkyo was at play here when that monstrosity walked through the doors. Personally I have always been curious about the result of Niuhōmanmaorennīchuan, but I never imagined it to be so ugly. As for you, what kind of idiot manages to get a Nyannichuan curse anyway? To turn into a girl; how embarrassing." Ranma managed to stay calm throughout the teen's tirade; using the soul of ice he had learnt from Ku-Lon to keep his emotions in check.

He carefully set Xian-Pu's cage back down where it was before, he couldn't risk endangering her right now. Slowly he began moving sideways, even as Herb continued to laugh at his misfortune, except herb hadn't le the move go unnoticed. He immediately let out a barrage of Ki attacks that arced through the air like glowing scythes. By the skin of his teeth Ranma was able to dodge all of the energy blades but it seriously exerted him and his ability to contort his body mid-air.

His confidence was raised as he dodged one after another Ki blades, each one coming close enough to him to hear it buzz slightly with energy but none striking him directly. Already he could feel the ambient Ki on the room and could even sense Herb using his own vast store to launch attack after attack. Ranma landed during a brief interlude as Herb regained his composure, about to switch tactics when he noticed he wasn't accomplishing anything.

"So, the boy can run and jump, oh how impressive" It was the most indignant form of sarcasm that Ranma barely even listened, he instead used the brief pause to his advantage.

"So, I hear you're a prince, shame you live in such a dump." Herb looked at him appalled; he lived in only the height of opulence and luxury.

"What would a street urchin like you know of finery?" Ranma smirked, pleased that his opponent had taken the bait.

"Enough to know that somebody's overcompensating for something." Herb's eye twitched at the statement and unleashed a whole new wave of attacks. Ranma barely had to use his full skill to avoid these, the angered teen's aim was dreadful now and the blades of Ki simply cut through air instead of their intended target. Ranma continued to taunt now that he had some breathing room to move a bit more freely.

"So what, you have to kidnap girls? Can't get one for yourself?" Herb's attacks only increased in intensity. "Let me guess, mum issues?" Herb let out a roar and sent out an energy blade so large that it sheared clear through a large stone pillar behind Ranma, missing the teen by a meter. As his anger and fury increased the power of his attacks did as well, however his accuracy diminished. That was all Ranma needed as he quickly moved around Herb. Constantly moving and dodging, all the while growing more confident.

Herb stopped for only a moment to realign himself but that was all he needed as Ranma finally released all the pent up energy inside of himself through his hands.

"Moko Takabisha!" The blast of light hit Herb squarely on the chest, incinerating one of the blades he had just sent out. The blast was even strong enough that Ranma had to shield his eyes as it died down, the light was that intense. When he finally could lower his arms his spirits dropped unfathomably. Herb stood, surrounded by scorch marks on the floor, completely unscathed, smiling broadly.

"I am descended from Dragons you fool; you think a mere Ki attack can fell me? My kin are the masters of life force, performing indescribable feats the likes of which you could never imagine." Ranma wasn't one to let go of an advantage and immediately moved forward whilst the boy talked. The pigtailed martial artist always had a back-up plan and this time he had been tracing said plan out from the very start of the fight, moving only now to complete the spiral.

By the time that Ranma was close enough that Herb's aim started to become a problem again the young Prince was practically burning with hot, angry Ki. However in the split second that it took for Ranma to throw his fist up all of that burning KI completely disappeared.

"Hiryu Shoten Ha!" Herb had redirected it all and as cold Ki met equally cold Ki Ranma's upward punch was just that. Thrown completely off balance by the sudden manoeuvre Ranma was taken easily by a particularly savage kick from Herb that launched him across the room, back through the hole Taro had made and onto the ground on the far side of the bath. Herb triumphantly walked back through the rubble of the hole and watched as Ranma slowly picked himself up.

"Really boy, you still wish to fight? Never have I met somebody with such a will to die, it's almost amusing." His face hardened, "Almost. However I take it that you being here is a sign that the Amazon's have no intention of handing over the Nyannichuan waters." Still with that iron mask of a face, Herb walked quickly up to the cage where Xian-Pu lay, hissing vehemently. He picked her and the cage up and, making sure Ranma was looking first, held her at arm's length over the steaming waters of the bath.

"I wonder what will happen to the girl when she changes back inside the cage. How about you, do you think that the solid steels bars will break apart or do you think she'll be shredded as she expands?" Ranma just stared, horrified at what the Prince was contemplating.

"You asshole, why would you do that?" Herb smirked.

"She's no longer of any use to me; if the Amazons won't cooperate then I will have to make an example of this one." With that Herb simply dropped the cage. Time moved from that point in slow motion, during the brief conversation Ranma had been moving back against the far wall, Herb merely assumed it was in horror of his actions. Instead Ranma had been preparing and as soon as Herb dropped Xian-Pu he pushed off the wall with all his power and flew across the room.

He caught the metal cage even as the bottom of it touched the surface of the water. He rolled in the air, launching the cage up and away from the water to land safely on the far side, clutching it to his chest. Herb turned, actually somewhat impressed, not that he showed his rival that.

"It is of no consequence how long you prolong the inevitable, soon enough the both of you will be dead on the floor." Herb almost stammered the last word as he noticed a sudden change in the pigtailed ten before him. It was subtle and only his keen eye noticed the difference. Ranma had tensed up slightly and he was swaying just a bit as if he was swinging some imaginary tail. The most prominent change however were the boy's eyes, they had taken on a vaguely yellow hue and the pupils had squeezed themselves into slits, giving the boy a hunting impression of a cat.

With his heightened senses for such things Herb also noted a sudden rush of Ki to both the boy's hands, an almost inhuman amount. Even he had difficulty maintaining any kind of construct, lacking the sheer focus, yet here this boy was, fashioning a set of claws that didn't appear to be going anywhere. Herb sneered; it appeared he had once again underestimated his opponent, nevertheless he wou-

He was cut off in the middle of that thought as Ranma suddenly appeared before him without any sign of movement whatsoever. Even Mint wasn't that fast, always leaving the slightest of blurs that a well-trained eye could spot, yet Ranma appeared to teleport. Herb wasn't given the time he wanted to think about this sudden increase in speed as an equally fast flurry of slicing blows were dealt across Herb's body.

He could block many of them but for each time he raised his arms in defence they would receive four equally spaced cuts. They weren't deep but the cuts and blows just kept coming, all over Herb's body flesh was being sliced and blood started to ebb out the fresh wounds. It reminded him remotely of Mint's tactics of a thousand small cuts over one large one, to wear out an opponent with blinding sped. Except the performance Ranma was putting one was so much faster, more agile and a lot more deadly.

Every time Herb would go to counter attack or switch to the offensive he was rewarded with even more vicious cuts. With warriors spirit he managed to stay on his feet but that was about all he could do as Ranma backed off, his eyes returning to normal as he shook his head. Herb eyed him one last time, his body absolutely covered with nasty cuts from Ranma's Ki claws. Then he simply fell backwards, unconscious from the wear and blood loss before he even hit the ground.


	38. Chapter 38

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. As is Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, and Maison Ikkoku but you aren't really interested in those now, are you? Nope, you're all about the Ranma ½.

* * *

It was a long and tiring journey back from the Musk fortress; none of the three travelers had left without their scars, physical or mental. It was only made worse when they had tried to escape, Mint and Lime must have woken up because the alarm sounded throughout the compound. From there it was a race for the teenagers' lives before they found refuge in the forest. They couldn't make the trip right away, the fight had taken a lot out of both Ranma and Taro and they spent a day recuperating by the same river they had found after the forest had burned.

Ranma had looked around on that day, just observing the pure destruction that Herb had wrought here. The ground around them was ashes, trees were reduced to blackened stumps and the whole forest reeked of death and decay. The darkened dead trees that jutted up out of the ground reminded Ranma of some titanic creature's bones, long ago left to be picked clean by time and scavengers.

All three of them were happy to finally leave that place and return to the village, even Taro who was unsure of what awaited him when he returned. Ranma had considered letting the boy go for the help he had put in for Xian-Pu's rescue but he lacked the means without the key to the bracelet. Ku-Lon had wisely chosen to keep the small metal key as Taro may have simply stolen it from the pigtailed boy as they slept.

Instead he resolved himself to make sure Taro would at least walk away from this as unscathed as possible. To him grudges merely burdened the soul, he had learnt that a long time ago from Ryoga and as far as he was concerned Taro had paid off his debt. That wasn't to say he would miss the boy when he left, he was much too self-interested and hateful for that. Yet at the same time Ranma knew that somehow Happosai had hurt this kid, in ways he didn't yet know.

Ranma was a naturally kind person and as such, when he saw a person with problems he did everything he could to alleviate them. It was almost karma for his own plethora of problems, that even with his own life so weighed down by responsibility and pain, he could at least help others with their own. He was going to find out what Taro was feeling wronged for and help him, if anything it was a reason to wail on the old pervert a few times.

Xian-Pu had initially been extremely suspicious of their new travelling companion but once Ranma explained the situation and showed her the bracelets she understood. She didn't necessarily like it, nor did she drop her guard but she at least acknowledged the boy's presence and thanked him for his part in her release. After all, there was no magical artifact stopping the other teen from hurting her, something he found more and more tempting before a warning look from Ranma made him decide otherwise.

He turned away from his quiet contemplation toward their makeshift camp, they had no tent but they had a makeshift shelter from a few dead trees and a weak fire. Soon they would pack up their meager supplies and finally get moving, it was only a day to the village from here. With Herb dealt with for now he couldn't see any problems ahead of them, but Ranma knew better, with his life it was never that simple.

* * *

They made it to Nyuchiehzu in about the time Ranma had expected, it wasn't a hero's welcome but a young messenger had seen their arrival and informed Ku-Lon. She and Kon-Xiela met them just inside the gates with warm smiles on their faces. Xian-Pu embraced her mother and politely bowed to the elder who merely shook her head and embraced the teen from the top of her staff. Xian-Pu was shocked but hugged the older woman back all the same.

Ranma watched on, smiling as he saw the reunion, it had only been a few days but they embraced as if it had been years. Taro just sneered, eyes narrowing as he took in the scene that was, to his eyes, pitiful and pathetic. Ranma saw it out of the corner of his eye but chose to ignore it, he could enjoy the loving scene whether or not the morally ambiguous teen to his left approved or not.

The small group made their way through the village toward Kon-Xiela's house with Taro becoming more and more nervous as they moved further and further into the village. Literally the only thing stopping the boy from bolting at that very moment was the bronze life-line clasped to his wrist. Sweat had begun to roll down his forehead as they finally got inside Kon-Xiela's living room.

Ku-Lon immediately took Xian-Pu upstairs to check out if she had been injured or mistreated during her time with the Musk. Ranma started to follow the pair but Kon-Xiela stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. She led him quietly into the kitchen and Taro didn't follow, instead he sat down on a couch and prayed silently that he wouldn't die. Once inside the kitchen and out of earshot from anyone else Kon-Xiela turned on Ranma, a strong look on her face.

"_Ranma, what is more important to you, my daughter or your damned ego_?" Ranma's eyes just opened wide and he blinked twice. _"Don't misunderstand me; I am more grateful than you can know that my daughter is safe at home, grateful to you. But I want to know if you understand that this was your fault."_ She shot him a look after a sight pause.

"_B-But Herb-"_ The older woman sighed.

"_No Ranma, this was not Herb's fault. I'm sure that bastard of a man would have never looked twice at my daughter if you hadn't started meddling in affairs that weren't your own."_ This time he didn't try and interrupt. _"I want you to tell me Ranma, admit to me that this was your fault and you are truly sorry. If you choose your ego and continue making a fool of yourself just to draw attention then I will petition the council to rescind the kiss of marriage and you can go back to your life in Nerima."_

Ranma was stuck rigid like a board; every instinct in his body was screaming to fight, to be stubborn and not lose but in the end his shoulders slumped and his head dropped.

"_I am sorry Kon-Xiela."_ The woman's gaze softened and a warm smile graced the edges of her lips as she lifted Ranma's head with a single finger.

"_You have made a good choice today Ranma, and I feel it is the start of many." _She looked up the stairs to where Xian-Pu and Ku-Lon had retreated and her lips curled up at the corners even more. _"I believe you could make another in the next few minutes if you try." _Ranma followed her gaze to the stairs and caught her meaning. He didn't smile, he was too tired and his feelings were too mixed but he had lost his depression.

The journey up those stairs was even more difficult than their journey away from the plane wreck. With every step he managed to place down on those stairs a different emotion shot through him. If it wasn't guilt it was uncertainty. If it wasn't fear it was sadness. And if it wasn't anxiety it was the most fleeting happiness. It continued like this until he finally pressed his foot down on the top stair, his being awash with a multitude of contradicting emotions.

All of that vanished when the door Ku-Lon and Xian-Pu were behind creaked open and both occupants looked up at him. He completely ignored the elder woman, instead focusing all his attention on the younger teen, looking her over for injury even though he had done that many times on their trip back. Ku-Lon looked between the two teens, smiled and hopped out of the room, but not before giving Ranma a slight pat on the back.

He almost stumbled into the room but managed to catch himself and walk in more slowly. Xian-Pu had seen the ungraceful movement and giggled slightly which caused Ranma to both blush slightly and smile a little. He walked in and sat at the edge of the bed Xian-Pu was sat on but didn't say anything. The lavender-haired Amazon was about to ask what was wrong with him but she saw the pained look on his face that told her he was struggling with something and left the question hanging in the air.

"Shampoo, I'm sorry." Ranma surprised himself with how easily he managed to say those words. Xian-Pu was equally shocked, she had of course heard Ranma say the phrase before and it was the first thing out of his mouth when he saw a girl cry. However she had never heard him utter it with such sincerity and genuine regret. Once again she was about to ask him just what he was apologizing for when the pigtailed boy beat her to it.

"It was my fault that Herb took you, just like it was my fault you nearly got killed by Wa-Kze. For a long time I've let my ego rule the way I live my life, allowing myself to be unthinking in the way I act and speak. I could blame it all on my father and the way I was raised but I can't bring myself to do that anymore. It's time I start taking responsibility for my actions, starting now, with you." Xian-Pu opened her mouth to tell Ranma that there was no need to apologise to her but he held up his hand.

"Xian-Pu," He really stressed the word to make sure he pronounced it correctly. "The last few months have been the most challenging and different in my life." He looked up from where he had been boring a hole in the floor to stare deeply into her eyes. "But without them, I would have never come to understand just what role you played in my life. For the longest time I cared enough about you, Ukyo, and Akane that I didn't want to hurt any of you." She looked at him quizzically.

"That hasn't changed, I still care for all three of you, if not in the way they might want me to. However the longer I string you along, the more you might be hurt." Xian-Pu began to become worried, she had never heard Ranma speak with such maturity, never once sticking his foot in his mouth. This wasn't exactly the strong, brash, slightly arrogant youth she had come to know. Instead there sat a mature young adult who only wanted what was best for the people around him, even if it meant sacrificing his own feelings. However none of this prepared her even remotely for what came next.

"Xian-Pu," He took one long look into her deep lilac eyes for strength. "I love you."


	39. Chapter 39

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. As is Inuyasha, Urusei... Damn, there's that feeling of Déjà vu again. What the heck is going on? Oh, um, what was I saying?

* * *

If Ranma had wanted to, it might have taken him up to five minutes to disengage himself from the enormous hug he found himself in. Since he didn't, it took significantly longer. He was actually surprised at Xian-Pu, that she had gone this long without saying a single word, instead she was just nuzzling into his chest while maintaining her vice-like grip. He returned it and she just squeezed harder, if he wasn't a martial artist it might have cracked a rib.

She looked up at his awkwardly smiling face with her own lopsided grin, a single tear welling up in her eye. For once Ranma wasn't overcome with the urge or desire to placate the crying girl, knowing that it was a tear of happiness.

"Wo ai ni" She kept muttering into his chest until the words became muffled and unintelligible, then continued saying them anyway. Eventually her hug took them over the edge of the bed and they found themselves sprawled out on the floor, lightly laughing. Somehow the girl had managed to keep her grip and even now had her Airen in that same hug. It was the same when he finally walked down the stairs and allowed the two older women to look upon their daughter and Great-granddaughter firmly attached to the pigtailed teen.

That earned the two a pair of appreciative smiles and a mischievous glance from Kon-Xiela. Xian-Pu finally disengaged the embrace and raced over to her mother, excitedly spouting words in Chinese so fast that even the two fluent Amazons had trouble keeping up. Whilst the mother and daughter were engaged with one another Ku-Lon brought Ranma to one side. She immediately noticed a subtle change in the boy, his hands weren't in his pockets and he stood a little taller.

"It makes me think about my younger days to see Xian-Pu this happy Ranma." She smiled a genuine heartfelt smile that didn't make Ranma cringe or jump back in shock. "I'm pleased you have finally realised your feelings and not only that but actually were honest with the one you care about." She chuckled "You have come a long way from the crass, arrogant young boy I first met you as." Ranma shot a sparing glance toward Kon-Xiela and Xian-Pu, still excitedly talking away.

"I guess I had a lot of help along the way" Ku-Lon chuckled once again but the tone in her voice still implied the same seriousness as usual.

"Yes, had your father had _his_ way who knows how emotionally crippled you may have grown up to become." Ranma sighed deeply.

"Pop wasn't all bad." Ku-Lon narrowed her gaze but then softened it once again.

"While we have differing opinions on that, we have other things to discuss. I didn't get much out of Xian-Pu as I looked over her injuries, what exactly happened out there?" Ranma gave her the short version of events that led up to them finally returning to Nyuchiehzu, including the fire, infiltrating the fortress, the fights with Mint, Lime, and Herb, and finally their escape. Ranma didn't particularly like Taro but he understood that the Amazon's could be harsh with their punishments so he tried to make out the boy in the best possible light.

Ku-Lon sat on her staff and listened in silence, as was her way, occasionally raising an eyebrow in interest. Some key points for her of the tale were the strange way the two bodyguards acted and what happened to finish the fight between Ranma and Herb. Nevertheless she kept her questions to herself until Ranma was finished.

"Ranma, what kind of defences or numbers did you witness at the Musk fortress?" Ranma thought a moment, trying to remember everything he wasn't quite focusing on as they made their way through the fortress, disguised.

"Well the place itself seemed pretty sturdy, the walls looked thick enough to keep most things out but we got in pretty easy from above. Once we were in it was a lot easier to get out over the walls, even if there was a pretty big drop." Ranma painfully remembered nearly twisting his ankles after he misjudged just how high the outer walls were. It didn't help that he was carrying Taro in his arms and Xian-Pu on his back.

"As for their numbers. I'd say the Amazon's outnumber them pretty easily, but if they're all like Mint or Lime then you might have some troubles." Ku-Lon nodded, it made sense for them to be a small group or their presence would have been noticed earlier.

"Thank you. Now as for the fights themselves, you seemed to have been outclassed by Herb for the most part, and losing from how you tell it. What changed?" Ranma grew nervous; he himself had been wrestling with that question for the past few days.

"Um, well I'm not really sure. If I'm honest it was a lot like going into the Neko-Ken, except I was in control. Time seemed to slow down and everything was perfectly clear, even though I was so tired. Ki just naturally went to my hands and from there instincts kinda took over." Ku-Lon gave it some thought.

"I had wondered what would become of your abilities in the Neko-Ken. A part of me thought those particular traits would disappear with the fear but the training seems to go past that. It appears that, without the fear of cats as a trigger, your psyche had to use something else to bring about the change. In this case It could have been anything from anger at Herb, fear for your life, base survival instincts or..." She looked at him, smirking "Devotion to my great-granddaughter."

"But why didn't I go full cat? Why was I in control?" Ku-Lon looked equally perplexed.

"I don't profess to be an expert in such things Ranma and perhaps we'll never know. If I had to guess I would say that because it wasn't a negative feeling acting as the trigger there was no need for your mind to regress in protection of itself." Ranma's brow furrowed.

"So, I can control it now?"

"Maybe, maybe not. As in all things time will tell." Ranma was at least partially satisfied; he would have to test this more.

"So what's going to happen with the Musk now?

"That is not my place to say, it will ultimately be a council decision. Their actions in taking my kin cannot go unpunished, at the same time we cannot afford a war with such skilled opponents. Now that we have a better understanding of our enemy we can start to plan but I believe the first step will be to send out convoys to make sure that Prince Herb's actions were not those of his people. I only pray his father is more reasonable."

It was at that moment Xian-Pu took a break from her mother and came barrelling into Ranma in one of her trademark glomps. Kun-Lon chuckled at the youthful action and hopped out, the turmoil in her mind contrasting the easy look on her features. There may be some troubling times ahead for the Joketsuzoku and a lot of meetings with the council.

"Airen! Xian-Pu and mother talk about wedding, it be big and beautiful and we have cake and dancing and flowers and-" Ranma barely understood the rest as it deteriorated into a hurried mishmash of Chinese and broken Japanese. However he did catch the main word in the mess of language.

"W-W-Wedding?" That got Xian-Pu to halt in her happy babbling, her features immediately switching from unbridled joy to the verge of tears.

"Airen no want marry Xian-Pu?" Ranma would have had to be emotionally dead to have missed the change in the girl and immediately the old reflexes started to kick in, even as some of the message Kon-Xiela managed to hammer in started to show itself.

"Whoa, I don't mean that Shampoo! It's just, I'm only seventeen. I do love you but it's just a bit early for marriage. I want to travel and learn," then he quickly added in "With you". He braced himself for the possible deluge of tears or beating that was to come but when it never came he had to remind himself this wasn't Akane he was dealing with. Instead he looked up at Xian-Pu's smiling face, it wasn't her usual beaming grin but it spoke of understanding and compassion.

"Xian-Pu understands. If Airen happy then wedding can always wait." He couldn't help but fall into her eyes as she continued to give him that look and almost instinctively reached up to kiss her softly on the lips. He broke off as soon as he realised they were still lying on the floor in a scandalous position with Xian-Pu's mother watching. They both got up, blushing furiously but smiling awkwardly all the same, with Ranma scratching the back of his head in that trademark Saotome way.

"_Well make sure when you are ready you come back here. I want to be there when my daughter finally gets married."_ Ranma nodded, a little unsurely. All this talk of marriage was really starting to push his mind back to its old ways and he was sorely tempted to use the Saotome school of Anything Goes final attack, just to get away. He and Xian-Pun agreed to go out and get some air but Kon-Xiela quietly whispered to him as he walked past. "_And it's never too early to start giving me grandchildren."_

Ranma actually blanched at this and it was only Xian-Pu's arm on his shoulder that prevented his legs from carrying him far away. She shot her mother an annoyed look but all she got in response was rapturous laughter from the older Amazon. She led the shaken boy away to their favourite spot on the roof, away from everything else.

* * *

They lay up on the roof until the sun began to set and snow lazily drifted from the darkening sky. Instead of going back inside they built a small makeshift fire that they carefully kept from burning down the house even as they huddled together, drawing warmth from each other as much as the flames.

Ranma wasn't ready to admit it just yet but Kon-Xiela's comment about kids really had gotten to Ranma. His only role model throughout his life had been his father and he knew that he didn't want any kids he had to turn out like him. He knew that it had partially been due to him lacking a mother but all the same he promised himself never to push his children toward anything they didn't want to do.

Even though his life was alright and he had resolved a lot of the issues he had, he wasn't willing to take that risk with his own kids. He had experienced trauma that no seventeen year old should have witnessed in his time and to bring up children in such chaos scared him to no end. He had always feared getting the people around him hurt or in trouble but at least he knew that most of the people that made up his friends could at least somewhat defend themselves.

To that end he also wanted to teach his children martial arts, making sure they would always be safe. However he would never use the same methods as his father, especially not stealing them away from their mother. He chuckled quietly, there would be no way he could take any kids he had away from Xian-Pu, she would probably kill him sooner.

He stopped himself mid-thought, amazed at how easily he could imagine Xian-Pu as the mother of his children. The more thought he put in the easier it became. She was warm, loving, and devoted. Not to mention the fact that she would probably defend them to her last breath as well as help them learn martial arts. He smiled inwardly, while he definitely wasn't ready for kids right now he could at least see a future with them in it.

Xian-Pu had noticed this long period of silence from her raven-haired love and anxious for the tense silence to break she leaned into him a bit more.

"Xian-Pu know it traditional for couple to spend Christmas around fire but this not what Xian-Pu expect." She said it all with a giggle but when Ranma actually got the words into his head he sweat dropped.

"It's Christmas?" She looked up at him, playfully donning a hurt expression.

"Airen no forget right?" Ranma gulped, he had completely forgotten just how close to the holiday season it had become in their time away. He hadn't gotten anything for Xian-Pu and he felt like the worst person in the world right now. Suddenly an idea came to him and he leapt to his feet.

"Of course I didn't forget, wait right here!" He leapt down from the roof and in one graceful motion he twisted around in the air, latched onto the edge of the tiles and swung into the room he shared with Xian-Pu. She too stood up, albeit more slowly and started to move, if Ranma was getting her present she felt it was only right that she go and get his.

They both got back to the roof at the same time, Ranma panting and Xian-Pu smiling sweetly, both with their hands behind their backs. They sat back down and Xian-Pu was the one to go first. She pulled out a medium sized, fairly flat box out from behind her, wrapped up in delicate pink tissue paper that Ranma excitedly ripped into. When he uncovered the lid of the plain white card box inside his entire body turned the brightest shade of red.

Inside the box was a matching set of skimpy lingerie that he could somehow imagine left enough to the imagination to be exciting but not quite enough that many people would find it appropriate, for anything. He gulped, very audibly as Xian-Pu began to giggle into her hand.

"You g-got this for m-me?" He said it even as he held the strange piece of fabric up to look at it. Xian-Pu managed to control her laughter long enough to put on a cute, innocent look.

"If Airen no like then Xian-Pu could always have instead." Ranma almost missed the insinuation behind her words but when they finally sunk in he managed to turn another shade more red, if that was even possible. Finally putting him out of his misery she produced another, slightly smaller but similarly shaped box and held it out to him. He took it gratefully, returning the first gift back to her; she was almost a little disappointed he hadn't gone for it, even though she knew he wouldn't. That wouldn't stop her from putting it to good use at a later point in their relationship.

Ranma opened the next box with a little more care, opening it tentatively, having absolutely no clue at this point what could lay inside. He was relieved when it was just a simple red scarf or at least that was his first impression. When he looked closely he could see intricately woven patterns that almost shimmered before him in the fire-light. It was a truly beautiful piece of craftsmanship and he briefly wondered where she had gotten it from.

"Airen like?" She asked it with genuine concern; it touched Ranma to see just how much she cared about his opinions on such things. He smiled up at her, as warmly as the fire glowing in front of them.

"It's amazing." And to prove his point he leaned across and kissed her deeply. He pulled away, leaving the girl breathless and red-faced from the passion of the kiss. "Where did you get it?" She shyly smiled, looking away from him at the dancing flames.

"Xian-Pu make scarf." He took another look at the beautiful piece of clothing and another look at her, astonishment evident in his eyes. "Xian-Pu want something to commemorate bond Airen form with Xian-Pu, that why scarf red." When he looked at her a little confusedly she continued. "It only after red thread affair that Ranma really start to notice Xian-Pu, spend time with her and," She looked up hopefully "Love her". He stared back at her, confusion gone and replaced by that same affectionate smile, mixed in with the same old cocky grin that otherwise always adorned his face.

"I guess you're right, thanks Shampoo, it's great" He really did mean it. Now it was his turn, he reached into his pockets and withdrew them slowly, placing them palm up towards Xian-Pu before opening his fist. Inside laid two small jade hair baubles, not unlike the ones Xian-PU usually wore. Except these looked as though they had been crafted expressly for an empress. Each was made out of flawless jade without any impurities or marks.

Golden dragons danced across their surfaces, each so finely embossed that one could see each individual whisker upon their face. At the base of each bauble sat two identical emeralds, completely flawless and sparkling in the dancing firelight of the flames. Xian-Pu had never laid eyes on such beautiful pieces of jewellery, not even in her one visit to the Amazon treasure room.

Ranma was lucky to have them; it was by sheer coincidence in fact. While still somewhat in his Neko-Ken state back at the Musk fortress he had spotted a number of small, valuable looking objects. While not a thief by nature, unlike his father, his cat-like mind had just reacted instinctually, pocketing the shiny objects to play with later.

Xian-Pu took them tentatively, as if her mere touch would shatter the immensely delicate items. She carefully unclasped her own hair-pieces, briefly allowing her hair to flow freely, before replacing them with Ranma's gifts. She didn't ask how he had got them or where, instead she leaned forward and returned the kiss he had given her earlier. Ranma actually felt kind of bad, her gift had been heartfelt and appropriate, not to mention fore-planned. His on the other hand had been rushed and only coincidental but his anxieties melted away under that affectionate, caring kiss.

Xian-Pu broke away from it and looked away, but not before Ranma noticed the tears on her cheeks.

"Shampoo, what's wrong?" He heard a sob, something that made his heart wrench in pain. She turned back to him, streaks of tears down her cheeks.

"Xian-Pu wonder if she can ever know if this how Ranma really feel, or if it all because of red thread?" He sighed, more than once he had had those exact same thoughts, but had long go put them to rest when he realised there was something more important. He raised Xian-Pu's head up to look at his own, wiping the tears from her cheeks carefully.

"I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought the same thing. Except, I remember exactly what it was like while that string was tied around my finger, like the whole world was fuzzy and out of focus except for you, who shone like a star. I don't feel that way now, everything is perfectly clear. What happened when Akane cut that string still confuses me but I know that I relived my whole life, including when I first met you, here, a year ago. I saw it in a whole new light." She stared at him, equally hopeful and pessimistic at the same time.

"The only thing that changed that day was that I gave you a second chance." He stared deeply into her eyes; something he found gave him strength to carry on with talks like these. It also helped to assure Xian-Pu that every word he spoke was utter truth. "And I will never regret that choice." He brought her face forward into a deep kiss, not one of passion or competition, of comfort or friendship. It was just two lovers, sharing an embrace the way only they could.

Neither wanted to lose that perfect moment, up on the roof of the Amazon village, surrounded by falling snow while flames danced in front of them. Most of all neither wanted to break away from their just as perfect kiss which Ranma would remember for his entire life, and not just because of his eidetic memory. Eventually it did have to end but Ranma and Xian-Pu broke away, looking into each other's eyes, not feeling at all sad.

After all, it wouldn't be their last.


	40. Epilogue

I do not own Ranma or any of the characters, places, intellectual properties etc therein, they are in the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi. Out of respect for this last chapter (or is it?) I've decided not to ramble on... enjoy.

* * *

-Epilogue-

Ranma was almost sad to be finally stepping off the boat, he would miss the heady smell of salt in the air and the gentle rocking of the waves. Xian-Pu was not quite so melancholic, the only reason she had agreed to even get on the boat was because they had both agreed to forgo air travel for a while. Though this reminded her far too much of her first trip to Japan, full of storms and violent waves crashing against the small, rickety boat.

It helped that Ranma was there to comfort her through the journey but she had started to become a bit irritable toward the end, even to her Airen. It was only through her well-maintained dignity that stopped her from launching to the floor of the dock and kissing the solid ground. Ranma watched on with amusement even as he thanked the captain of the small vessel and departed himself.

Taro was the last one off the boat, the crew all giving him wary looks as he left. The enormous amount of water in the sea and Taro's curse weren't a good mix, one that left a few good seamen almost running overboard when he changed. Ranma had managed to explain the situation but it didn't stop the crew from giving the other boy a very wide berth. Taro was perfectly happy with that, he was growing far too agitated in such a confined space, especially when he would normally just fly to such places.

It had taken Ranma a while to convince the teen to tell him just why he was mad with Happosai, in exchange for his location. At first the pigtailed boy had to fight all his natural urges to burst out laughing but when he realised just how traumatising it was he sobered up and agreed to help Taro kick the old pervert's ass until he corrected it. That wasn't to say Xian-Pu and him hadn't shared a laugh about it later out of Taro's earshot.

They decided to make Happosai their last destination, Ranma had some other unfinished business to attend to first. He was uncomfortable at first with Xian-Pu coming along, feeling like it was something he should do alone but she was very insistent. In the end he believed it was probably best for her to be there after all, she had a way of getting him to come to that conclusion more often than not.

* * *

It had seemed so easy planned out in his mind back in China but staring at the entrance to Ucchan's he found all those well thought out words dissipating. His feet wouldn't move of their own accord and it was only after an encouraging squeeze on his hand from Xian-Pu he managed to take that first step inside. He exhaled the breath he had been subconsciously holding and walked in.

"RANCHAN!" as suddenly as he had entered he was tackled to the ground in a characteristically un-Ukyo way. He was too surprised and winded to even start to get her off; it didn't matter to her though she just dove right into what she had been waiting to say for a month. "Look Ranchan, I know that you have no obligation to marry me anymore but that doesn't mean I'm going to just give up! In the end it's your choice right? So I know you'll still pick me."

She finally realised the precarious position she had pushed him into on the floor, also noticing that he wasn't alone in the restaurant. She let him up, still beaming after she had finally gotten to say what she had wanted to after so long. However there was uncertainty in her eyes, not knowing how he was going to react or why he had brought Xian-Pu with him. He looked at her for a moment and reevaluated just how hard it was going to be to say what he had to say.

"Listen, Ucchan." He took another moment, trying to sort out the muddle of words flying through his head. "Something happened in China" No, he realised that wasn't quite right. "Something's been happening for a while now. I've come to realise that I can't keep stringing along all those who I care about." Ranma was mentally screaming at himself just to get to the point and get it over with but another equally loud part demanded that he give Ukyo the respect she deserves.

"Listen Ucchan, I don't see a future with us." Realising he had said that completely wrong he hurriedly continued to make sure she didn't take it the wrong way. "You're my oldest friend, more like a sister to me. I just couldn't ever see you in that way." Tears were already welling up in the girl's eyes and Ranma couldn't see a way out of this that didn't involve hurting his oldest friend. He led her gently over to one of the stools by the counter and they sat, facing one another.

"Is this about her?" Ukyo tried to shoot Xian-Pu a venomous glare but it was weak and diluted by the tears slowly rolling down her face. Ranma also looked up at the lavender haired girl, smiling sadly. She understood and left the restaurant, sitting on a bench no too far from the entrance.

"Yes Ukyo, it's about Shampoo." She looked up, shocked at the honesty of his answer "I love her. It took me a long time to realise it, and some moments where I thought I might have lost her forever but I do know it now. I still felt I couldn't just leave our relationship how it was." He smiled at her, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You deserve more than that." She leaned into the touch, as if it were the last she might ever get from her former fiancée.

"Are you sure they didn't do something to you? A potion or some weird magic thing?" It was weak and she didn't really believe it herself. Deep down she had already resigned herself, it was just her mind futilely fighting back the inevitable.

"No Ukyo, I want you to understand this. I love Shampoo and it isn't because of some silly potion or enchanted artifact I love her because we have a bond, something I couldn't see through the haze and chaos of my life before but now shines stronger because of our time together." His voice had taken on a more firm, but still just as gentle tone as he implored Ukyo to see that he had finally made a choice.

"We have a similar bond Ucchan." She looked up, a little confused. "Not the same, but similar. You are still one of the oldest and best friends I have in the world and I don't want to lose you over something like this." She held his gaze for a while before dropping her head and staring at her lap.

"I don't want to lose you either Ranchan." He smiled and raised her head again. He was glad Xian-Pu had left the restaurant as he was sure she wouldn't approve of what he was about to do. He carefully leant across and kissed Ukyo softly on the cheek, almost as recompense for all he had done to hurt her. He knew it wasn't even remotely enough to right all the wrong that he had put in her life but that would come later. He stood up, and she copied him but he placed a hand on her shoulder to sit her back down, smiling warmly.

"Thank you Ucchan, for making this more bearable than I could have hoped." She tried a weak smile and was encouraged to try even better when he returned it in full. He left the restaurant in high spirits, it hurt him deeply to have had to do that but he was now confident that pain would have only increased as time passed. Now he needed all the good feelings he could manage for what came next, for this wasn't going to be nearly as easy.

* * *

The Tendo garden wall might as well have been the Great Wall of China as Ranma stood in front of the gate. Even Xian-Pu seemed hesitant to step foot in the grounds, however Ranma managed to steel himself and started walking forwards, slowly gaining confidence with each step. He looked around, realising just how much he had thought of this place as a home over the last year. Mixed memories of the various members inside and fights that always seemed to end up in the Koi pond.

His mind flashed through the list of the people inside. Soun, he guessed he should be just as angry at the Tendo patriarch as he was at his own father. He was always trying to push him and Akane together against their blatant protests but in the end he understood how hard it must have been for the man to raise three daughters of his own. He almost respected him for what he had accomplished.

Kasumi was an excellent example of this; kind, warm, loving, the perfect housewife. Ranma had actually wondered a few times just how his life would have gone if it were Kasumi the two fathers were pushing him towards. While now he could never see her as anything other than the kind older sister his mind was allowed to wander. He greatly respected Kasumi for the way she had sacrificed herself as a surrogate mother for her two sisters and the carer of the household.

It was Nabiki Ranma could never figure out, always scheming, always out for the biggest gain. Yet there was the obvious care she had for her family that overrode even her deep attachment to all things financial. A long time ago Ranma had worked out that it was her way of dealing with her mother's passing that had brought the middle child into the world of profiteering. Ranma couldn't fault her, she was probably the main financial income for the house and without her the Tendo's might have been just as homeless as he and his father were.

He was interrupted before he could reach the last sister by a gentle voice calling out from the door.

"Oh, hello Ranma, Shampoo. It's good to see you back again, please come in." He graciously smiled at Kasumi, she was the one perpetually calm aspect of his otherwise hurricane-esque life and he could never really express his gratitude for that.

"Thanks Kasumi, it's good to see you to." She nodded, still maintaining her perpetual smile and wandered back into the kitchen, no doubt to finish dinner from the smells emanating from the small room. He took another step into the house but that was all it took before a certain blue-haired girl came barreling down the stairs, having heard the brief conversation.

"Ranma? You're back!" He grinned, his normal cocky grin that already started to infuriate the youngest Tendo.

"Hey Akane." He knew they hadn't parted on the best of terms but now actually face to face he realised he had missed her. Despite their differences and the unfortunate situation they were both thrust into he had at least come to think of Akane as a friend, even if she wouldn't always extend him the same courtesy. They had their good moments, ones that actually made Ranma smile when he thought about them. It was just unfortunate that the bad outweighed them somewhat.

"Hey Akane? That's all? You were gone for over a month and you didn't even write!" Ranma frowned; he had definitely written a few letters during their time in China. The first being when he got to Nyuchiehzu, then when they got back from the training trip, and then a few days after the incident with the Musk to inform them they were coming back. He was uncertain why they hadn't reached Japan yet, or at all considering the first was over three weeks ago.

"Hey, I did write!" Akane just huffed angrily, arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh I'm so sure, I guess all the letters just mysteriously vanished." It was becoming increasingly difficult for Ranma not to fall back on his usual insults of Tomboy or the myriad of others. Before he even got a chance to defend himself she immediately latched onto her next point of anger, almost grateful for this release of all her rage that had been slowly building over the last weeks without its usual vent.

"And why'd you bring that Chinese hussy here? Probably something perverted I'd bet!" Ranma couldn't take it anymore, he had to do something to break Akane out of this streak or he'd end up halfway across Tokyo before he could say what he needed to say. Akane was a lot like a rolling boulder, once she started you had to try and stop her fast or else she'd just crush you.

"Shampoo's here because she's my fiancée and I love her!" That definitely worked, Akane actually stopped halfway into the act of drawing out her meta-physical hammer. It dropped behind her making a very audible thud that split a few floorboards.

"W-What?" He walked over to her, trying to be as calming and as reasonably sounding as possible, like he had with Ukyo.

"Akane, I love Shampoo. It took me a long time to work it out but I finally have. I could have easily avoided this admition to you but I felt I at least owed it to you to tell you to your face." He looked at her face with melancholy. "After all that we've been through, I'd be a bigger jerk than you ever called me if I didn't come and tell you myself." Akane was stunned, actually stunned wasn't nearly as descriptive as the tumultuous emotion she felt but it was at least how she appeared. She had never heard Ranma use the l-word before, never mind with such passion and conviction.

She was caught between wanting to knock him through the ceiling and wanting an explanation. And she knew if she got the first option first she'd never get the second option. Then, amazingly, something happened that had never happened before, something deep in Akane's mind something clicked. Suddenly her anger and frustration toward Ranma disappeared; instead it flickered briefly before being switched over to a new target. She rounded on Xian-Pu angrily.

"What did you do to Ranma you Chinese hussy!?" A new mallet was back in her hands, despite the other one still being firmly embedded in the floor. This at least confirmed Ranma's theory that the mallet was in fact inter-dimensional and could be summoned at will. Before the girl could bring it down on Xian-Pu, who already had her Chúi drawn, Ranma calmly steeped in their way and blocked the strike.

"Out of the way Ranma. I'm trying to save you."

"Stop it Akane." It was a short sentence, barely any command behind it. However there was an icy fire behind the words that promised just what would happen if she tried to hurt Xia-Pu again. Ranma hated to do it, and she knew that Akane wouldn't have landed the blow anyway but he did genuinely care for her and didn't want them to fight. It was enough to make Akane falter, giving Ranma time to quickly disarm the girl of her weapon.

"Shampoo didn't do anything to me, I came to realise my feelings on my own, and they are _my _feelings." Akane just stood there, unsure of what to do or even of what was going on. She certainly hadn't expected Ranma's homecoming going anything like this.

"B-But Ranma," He sighed deeply, it was going to take even more.

"No Akane, with the marriage nullified we have no more reason to put up this charade anymore. I can't deny I have feelings towards you, even if I don't know quite what they are, but right now I know I love Shampoo. Honestly I couldn't really see a future where, together, we are happy. If you do, then it's clearly not me you're seeing but who you want me to be. I hope we can stay friends now that there's no pressure." Akane just kept standing there, unblinking and not saying a word.

Ranma took this as a good time to leave before the situation could deteriorate. He took Xian-Pu's hand and started to lead her out of the house but they were stopped as Akane meekly uttered.

"Ranma I- I'm-" He paused, waiting her to finish but when she never did. He once again walked out of the house and away from the Tendo's. But he figured it might not for the last time.

* * *

They were up on the roof of the Nekohanten, or at least what used to be the Nekohanten. In the time that the Amazon's had been absent from the property the land-owner had rented it to new clients. The two teens figured it wouldn't matter if the new owners didn't know they were up here. Actually Xian-Pu was currently wondering what had become of all her possessions but when Ranma wrapped an arm around her shoulders her thoughts drifted to other things. Ranma had been wrestling with something ever since he had left the Tendo's and only now felt he had the confidence to finally bring it up.

"Hey Shampoo?" She looked across at him, taking her eyes off of the stars above them.

"Yes Airen?"

"What do you see in the future? For us?" Xian-Pu was genuinely excited she could finally take about all her hopes and dreams for the future, something she had dreamt of often in her time chasing after Ranma. At the same time she realised he had to be bringing it up for a reason and was careful with her response.

"Xian-Pu want kids." He giggled at his awkward reaction and clarified "Maybe not now, but some time." Glad that he calmed down a little she continued. "Want also to settle down, have family in future." She looked across at Ranma with her head cocked. For the longest time she had her life planned out to the tee, catch Ranma, go back to China, resume her life and build a family but now that she actually had the love of the man she cared for she realised that all of that was fairly insignificant.

"Until then Xian-Pu just happy being with Ranma, wherever." He smiled back at her, heartened by her warm but vague response. It left a lot of room to fill in the gaps, gaps that Ranma realised they had the rest of their life to fill with adventures. They stayed up on the roof, late into the night, staring up at the stars, thinking about everything that was to come, and everything that came after.


End file.
